A Trip to the Woods
by ShowMeYourFury
Summary: There is a rumor that a monster lives in the forests outside of Vale, preying on campers and the careless... So naturally, Yang Xiao Long wants to go camping, forcing her sister Ruby and the icy transfer student Weiss Schnee to come with her.
1. Blackmailed

**Disclaimer I: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Disclaimer II:** _This story contains mature content. Read at your own risk._

**Cover Image: [**star-the-raccoon**]**

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Among all the clamor and commotion of Beacon High School's cafeteria, there remained a single, lone refuge of quiet and peace. Weiss Schnee sat alone at the table, _her_ table, an intangible sphere of calm solitude surrounding her as she prepared to bite into the masterfully hand-crafted bologna sandwich that her mother had packed for her that morning. Despite being fabulously rich and having a live-in chef, her mother always made sure to make her her lunch. As her teeth made contact with the lightly toasted rye bread, a loud _thunk_ and the shaking of her table made her pause, icy blue eyes opening to glare at whomever was unlucky enough to interrupt her meal.

Her chilling scowl met the sunny smile of Yang Xiao Long, the blonde girl slapping her lunch tray on the table and propping her head up on her hands. "What do you want, Long?" Weiss growled around the sandwich in her mouth, finishing her bite and slowly chewing on the mash of bread, meat, cheese, and mayonnaise.

"How ya' doin', Ice Queen?" Yang bubbled, wiggling in her seat and widening her grin. "And I've told you a million times, just call me 'Yang'!"

Weiss swallowed the mouthful of sandwich, lowering the rest back to the paper napkin she was using as a plate. "Of course. Yang." She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. "Now, what do you want?" The bright, smiley blonde had refused to leave her alone since Weiss had transferred to Beacon in January. It was now April, and her tactics of cold, quick responses and closed body language had done nothing to dissuade the other girl from approaching her every time they saw one another. Up until recently, lunch had been Weiss' last haven, Yang being forced to work on a giant midterm project during her meal periods. Now, without fail, the blonde would crash down at Weiss' table and insist on engaging in conversation. Weiss wanted nothing more than to scream 'Leave me alone!', but her mother had raised her to not be rude.

Yang plucked a french fry from among its twins, chomping into the soft, salty junk food. She also had a grease-covered hamburger that Weiss learned was called a 'Sloppy Joe', and a small carton of chocolate milk. "Just droppin' in to say 'Hi'!" Her eyes glanced over Weiss' shoulder, widening in recognition. She threw her hands up, waving to someone behind the white-haired girl. "Nora! Pyrrha! Over here guys!" she called. Weiss twisted with glacial slowness in her chair, her angry frown resting on a short, ginger-haired girl and a tall redhead walking towards them. This was another thing that Yang had started doing; inviting her friends over to sit with Weiss. She despised them all.

"Howdy guys!" the short one, Nora, shouted, plopping herself on the chair beside Weiss. Weiss scooted away from the loud girl, trying to preserve her generous bubble of personal space.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Pyrrha, the redhead, said with a polite smile, dusting crumbs off her seat before sitting opposite Nora. "What's going on?"

Yang wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, picking up another french fry. "Just catching up with the Ice Queen!" She tossed the unfortunate fry into her mouth, crushing it with her molars as she spoke. "So guys, what do you think about inviting Weiss here on our camping trip?" Weiss' eyebrows shot up and she readjusted her attention way from Nora, who was wolfing down a repulsive combination of pizza and french fries, to Yang, her glare transforming into surprise.

"That sounds wonderful!" Pyrrha smiled, clapping her hands together.

"Shornds grrt! Ltts der it!" agreed Nora, pumping her fists in the air.

Weiss shook herself free of the shock, rubbing her temples in small circles. "Why..? What reason in the world makes you think that I'd want to spend my weekend with _you_?" she grumbled at the blonde, glowering over her still-unfinished sandwich.

Another french fry was plucked from its fellows, beginning its short, doomed journey to the blonde's stomach. "Well," Yang started, popping the fry into her mouth, "You said last week that bowling wasn't your thing, so I thought I'd try camping!"

"_What_? How does that even-" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. This girl was giving her a migraine. "Just... No."

"Aww, come on! It'll be fun! Just us four!" Yang licked her fingers clean of salt. "We can roast hotdogs, make s'mores... talk about boys..." she winked at Weiss, grinning as she picked up her burger.

"Never, in a thousand years, would I want to be stuck in the woods with you, Long."

"This is why I call her Ice Queen." Yang murmured aside to Pyrrha, who smiled faintly, nodding her head. "Why? Are you scared?"

Weiss straightened, frowning in surprise and blinking several times at the blonde's suggestion. "E-Excuse me? Scared? Of what?"

"Tell her, Nora."

The orange-haired girl sucked hamburger juice off her thumb and licked her lips before speaking. "There's a rumor," she said in a conspiratorial hush, flicking her eyes back and forth. "That there's a monster in the woods..." She leaned close to Weiss. "Who KILLS campers! OooooOOooh!" Nora wiggled her fingers spookily in Weiss' face, the frosty glare ineffective against the air-headed ginger.

Weiss turned back to Yang, sitting very still and very straight. "Bullshit."

The blonde spread her hands in a 'what-can-you-do?' shrug, pulling a pair of fries into her mouth with her tongue. "Well if you don't come, I guess I'll have no choice but to tell the whole school that Weiss Schnee is scared of the monster in the woods..." She kept her face tilted away from the white-haired girl, but peeked one teasing eye to see Weiss' reaction.

A vein throbbed on Weiss' forehead, a visual indication of the girl's annoyance. "You would besmirch my name and reputation, simply because I refuse to go _camping_ with you?" She ground her teeth over every word. Her fingers were poking holes in her sandwich, her grip tightening the angrier she became.

"I wouldn't have to if you came with us..." Yang replied, rolling her eyes with fake innocence. "So how about it?" she smiled, the edges of her grin bathed in smugness. She waggled her eyebrows, confident of her victory.

Weiss turned to Pyrrha. "And you're both okay with this?"

"Of course! It would be a delight to have you!" The redhead smiled, placing another fork of salad into her mouth.

"And you?" Weiss' last hope remained in the energetic, no-boundaries, ginger girl sitting next to her.

"The more the merrier!" Nora laughed, reaching her arms to the ceiling.

Weiss buried her face in her hands, dragging down the skin on her cheeks in exasperation. Releasing a long, despairing sigh, she glared at the smirking blonde. "Fine. You win." she conceded. This did not set a good precedent for their future interactions.

"Fantastic! Give me your phone, I'll text you when we're going to pick you up!" Yang cheered, her eyes sparkling with triumph. Weiss reluctantly reached into her backpack and removed her cell phone, placing it into Yang's waiting hand as though she was sealing her unconditional surrender.

As Yang was typing her number into Weiss' phone, and the white-haired girl was shaking her head in dismay, Pyrrha tapped the blonde on the shoulder, pointing to the cafeteria's entrance. "Hey Yang, isn't that your sister?"

Both Yang and Weiss looked up and followed Pyrrha's finger to a girl with short reddish hair, a red hoodie, black skirt, and tall black boots over gray leggings. "It sure is! Hey, Ruby! Come on over!" Weiss' mood darkened again. Now there were more people crowding her table; more strange, irritating peers to interrupt her lunch. "Weiss, have you met Ruby?"

Weiss glanced up from glaring at the table, trying to put on a disguise of friendliness by smiling thinly and waving. "Hello. It's nice to meet you. I'm Weiss." she stated in a practiced chant, devoid of emotion. She struggled to keep herself from snarling; the blonde had put her in a bad mood, but that was no reason to take it out on someone else. Especially when that someone else was a younger student, if her quick visual examination was correct. She'd seen the girl around the school, always wearing that red hoodie, but had never taken any closer interest.

"Hello." Ruby said, returning Weiss' wave with her own weak one. She looked absolutely exhausted; her silver eyes were half-lidded and lightless while her shoulders sagged, not just from the weight of her overlarge backpack. "It's nice to meet you too." The smile she gave was pitiful, like she didn't have the energy to move her mouth.

"Come and sit down!" Yang pushed a seat open for her sister, pulling on the younger girl's hand and practically forcing her to sit.

"What grade are you in, Ruby?" Weiss asked, leaning forward in curiosity. Surely she was a sophomore or a freshman, she looked so young.

"I'm a junior." Ruby answered, covering her mouth with a hand as she yawned.

Weiss' eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? But you're so young!"

Yang smiled wide and pulled her sister into a side-hug. "Yup! She's so smart she tested two years ahead! I'm so proud of her!" The blonde ruffled Ruby's hair, eliciting a groan of displeasure and a meek attempt to throw her off. "Where have you been, sis? Lunch is almost over!"

"Ms. Fall gave me detention..." Ruby mumbled, laying her head on the table. The hood of her sweater flopped over her head, making her look like a giant gnome.

"Again?! Wow, she really hates you." Yang said, sucking her chocolate milk through a straw with a loud slurping noise. "That's like, the third time this week."

"Tell me about it..." the younger sister groaned, covering her eyes with her arm. "I just wanna go home..." Immediately after she finished the sentence, several booming chimes rang out from the loudspeakers, announcing the end of the period. "Ugh..." Ruby curled tighter into a little ball of clothing, hunkering into the table to try and hide from the rest of the school.

"Come on, Ruby..." Yang hummed, gripping her sister under her arms and pulling the younger girl to her feet. "Time to go to class!" The blonde shouldered her backpack and followed her friends out the door. "And I'll see _you_, Weiss, on Saturday!" She winked before turning the corner and disappearing out of sight.

Weiss scowled after her, depositing her phone back into its proper pocket. "Splendid!" she rolled her eyes and grumbled, but relaxed her scowl a bit as she turned to Ruby. "Where are you headed next?"

"History with Oobleck. Then Physics with Port, and finally Calculus with Ms. Fall." Ruby sighed, hefting the backpack onto her shoulders and trudging toward the exit.

"Didn't you already have a class with Fall? Where she gave you detention?"

"No, that was from yesterday. I still have to sit through class with her."

"That sounds awful. I've only heard bad things about Ms. Fall." Weiss frowned as they left the cafeteria, she heading right and Ruby going left. "Well, it was nice to meet you Ruby. I'm sure I'll see you around!" Since the blonde insisted on being around Weiss, it was probable that she'd see the younger sister as well. She gave another small, purely-out-of-politeness wave before turning and walking down the hallway to her next class.

Ruby returned the wave, but it went unseen as Weiss left. Ruby replaced her hand in her sweatshirt pocket, dragging her feet along the floor tiles as she walked to class.

As the final bell rang and students began to cram into the hallways, chattering and laughing about who-said-what during class and who's-doing-what for the weekend, Weiss zipped up her backpack with a quiet fury, her eyes glaring daggers at her desk. As she stomped out the door and into the cacophonous halls, she bared her teeth in an angry snarl, her fists clenched by her sides. Curse that Xiao Long!

Her last three classes had each dumped an essay assignment on her, all due on Monday, and she'd be stuck in the woods with that insufferable blonde for the whole weekend! She'd just have to decline. And suffer the punishment of being the laughing stock of the whole school? Curse that Xiao Long! Surely that smiling idiot would understand? And then immediately spread gossip the second she was out of sight. No, she'd just have to write... all... three... essays... either tonight or when she got back from... _camping_. A shiver ran up her spine; just thinking about the word made her want to scream.

She was thankful that the other students had the wisdom to stay out of her way, most jumping to the side as soon as they spotted her bobbing, pure-white ponytail piercing through the ocean of students like a shark's fin. Yang may be the only one to call her 'Ice Queen' to her face, but the moniker was accurate of her reputation, and the other students knew it. If you didn't want to freeze, you got the hell out of Weiss Schnee's way.

Emerging from the worst of the crowd, Weiss' perpetual glare caught sight of a familiar red hoodie, its wearer slouching just outside of a classroom. Next to Ruby was a a tall woman with long, wavy, dark hair and bright yellow eyes, dressed in a deep crimson shirt and black office skirt. Most likely Ms. Fall, Ruby's Calculus teacher, Weiss thought, storming past the two. "...ou'll just need to stay after again, young lady." she heard as she walked by. "Your grades have been getting very disappointing."

"Yes, Ms. Fall." Ruby sounded depressed, her words slow and quiet. "Oh! Weiss!" Damn.

Weiss forced a thin smile onto her face, hoping it looked somewhat warm, and turned on her heel. "Oh, hello Ruby! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you!" she lied, walking closer to the younger girl. "How is it going?"

Ruby's eyes glittered as Weiss approached, stepping towards her. "It's pretty goo-"

"Excuse me," Ms. Fall cut in, placing a restraining hand on Ruby's shoulder. The redhead seemed to deflate, her eyes losing their sparkle. "We were having a discussion." Her spiteful tone made Weiss pause, her blue eyes going wide. Looking up from Ruby's abject expression into the teacher's eyes, she balked, taking a step backwards. Ms. Fall's eyes were harsh and fierce, as though Weiss' presence offended her on a personal level.

"Oh- I... umm, I'm-" Weiss stammered, taken aback by the woman's hostile attitude.

"I think you should leave." Ms. Fall half-growled, laying her other hand on Ruby's open shoulder. "Ruby needs to stay after for some extra tutoring; there will be plenty of time for you two to talk _after_ she finishes her work."

Weiss' eyes switched back to Ruby, who gave her the tiniest of nods. "I need to go Weiss, sorry. Bye." the younger girl said, her voice morose and empty.

"Uh... o-okay. Bye." Weiss turned around and resumed her walk, a little upset by the interaction with the two women. She looked over her shoulder before turning the corner to the staircase, watching as Ms. Fall guided a dejected-looking Ruby into her classroom and closed the door behind them. Weiss thought she saw a small smile on the teacher's lips, but couldn't be sure.

She arrived home just after 4:30, and instantly made straight for her room. "Wait right there, young lady!" a smooth, kind voice called from the kitchen. Weiss groaned. "You don't get to go upstairs without at least saying 'Hi' to me." Weiss retreated back down the several steps she'd climbed, rolling her eyes as she opened her arms for her mother's hug. "How was your day, honey?"

Weiss scoffed. "Miserable. Yang Xiao Long _insisted_ on bothering me at lunch. And I have three essays that I need to finish by Monday."

Her mother held her at arm's length by the shoulders. "That Yang girl isn't bullying you is she? You know you can tell me anything..." She looked at Weiss with concern, her lips pinching into a slight pout.

"What? No, nothing like that... she just... UGH! She's so annoying! I just want her to leave me alone! And now she's forcing me to go _camping _with her." Weiss glowered at the wall, tapping her foot in frustration.

"Weiss..." her mother chided, tilting her head forward. "You've got to try and make friends, you know. You've been there for four months and you haven't brought anyone over yet! I think you should go..."

Weiss rolled her eyes and readjusted her backpack, the heavy bag slipping down her arm. "Mo~om! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"I am! I just think it would be good for you to go camping with this Yang girl... maybe she can get you out of your shell?"

Weiss stamped her foot. "I don't have a 'shell'!" It's a wall. A very carefully constructed wall made of unbreakable steel and frozen over so the gates will never open. "And Yang Xiao Long is the _last_ person I want to be around."

Her mother stepped back and held her hands up placatingly. "Alright, alright. But you're going, right?"

Weiss sighed, crossing her arms and gnawing on her lip. "Yeah... or else she'll tell the whole school that I'm a scaredy-cat."

"So she _is_ bullying you!"

"What? No! It's... ugh, nevermind! I'm going upstairs!" Weiss threw her hands up and started stomping up the stairs, the conversation with her mother serving only to raise her blood pressure.

"Okay! Dinner's at six! Good luck with your essays!"

After working on her essays for the next three hours and being late for dinner, which earned her a short, stern lecture from her father and a mildly annoyed look from her mother, Weiss had managed to come close to finishing one and was about halfway through another when her phone buzzed. Without needing to look, she knew it was Yang, the talkative blonde probably wanting to remind Weiss that they were going _camping_ tomorrow. Briefly considering ignoring the call, Weiss decided that she had better answer, assuming that if she didn't pick up Yang would just spam her number and she would never be able to concentrate on her essays.

Releasing a long sigh, Weiss passed the point of no return and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Heya Ice Queen! What're you up to?" Yang's too-bright voice boomed through the speakers, making Weiss reevaluate her decision. God, this girl was annoying.

"Writing some essays. They're very important. Goodbye." She poured as much cold and ice into her voice as she could, hoping Yang would get the hint 'Shut up and leave me alone'.

"Bummer! Hey, remember that we're gonna pick you up tomorrow! Probably sometime around noon, 'kay?" Obviously, hint-taking was not her strongest suit.

"Looking forward to it. Can't wait, honest. Goodbye." Weiss was already pulling the phone away from her ear. Surely the blonde couldn't miss the message if Weiss hung up on her prematurely.

"Really? Great! It's going to be so much fun, Weiss! Okay, see you tomorrow!" Yang's spirited, vivacious voice was finally silenced, the blonde hanging up before Weiss could push the 'End Call' button. Weiss was incensed. _She _was supposed to hang up on _Yang, _not the other way around! Infuriating, oblivious, unbearable, idiotic... Curse you, Yang Xiao Long!

She tried for another half hour to work on her homework, but the burning energy of her barely contained rage after her short conversation with Yang would not let her focus, her mind constantly wandering to all the horrible consequences of _camping_ with the detestable blonde. She gave up on the work, deciding to pack for her 'trip' to calm herself down. Pulling her sleeping bag, which had only been used once previously, on a camping trip with her family that she had actually enjoyed, from the attic, she set about choosing the necessities.

White sweatshirt. No, it would get dirty, the blue one is better. Check. Rain coat, check. Three shirts, check. A fourth, just to be safe. It was only for the weekend... remove the fourth. Check. Re-add the fourth, can't be too cautious. Check. Hat, check. Or this one? That one. Check. Sunglasses, both pairs, check. Three pairs of pants, check. Five pairs of underwear, check. Four pairs of socks, check.

She had now filled her only duffel bag, and switched to her school backpack for the remainder of her items.

Emergency makeup, check. Toothbrush and toothpaste, check. Extra pair of shoes, check. Just one? Can't fit another. Hat, check. Wait, too many hats. Un-check. Laptop and charger, check. She'd finish those essays if it killed her. Cellphone and charger, check. Noise-canceling earbuds so she wouldn't have to listen to either Yang or Nora, check. Flashlight, check.

"Alright, Xiao Long..." Weiss said, standing over her overstuffed duffel and backpack with her hands on her hips in triumph. "Bring. Your. Worst."

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**Author's Notes: **Some of you have already probably figured out the two secrets of this story. I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter and/or the premise in general. It's going to be about 3-5 chapters long hopefully.

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	2. Camping

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Notes: **Sorry about the very long time between updates, I was focused on finishing 'Pyromania'.

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Pocketing her cell phone and closing the textbook she'd been skimming, Yang hopped off her bed and started toward her door, stepping around the various piles of dirty and clean clothes and crumpled-up old notes that littered her floor. She jumped over her sparsely packed duffel bag, full of only a single change of clothes and her bathroom amenities, and smacked the light switch as she left the room, heading for the stairs.

She waited at the top of the steps as her sister finished the ascent, Ruby's head lolling on her shoulders and her eyelids kept open only out of will. "Hey Ruby! You're home late..." It was close to 8:30; the sun had set almost an hour ago.

"Yeah..." Ruby mumbled, not looking up from the ground. "Ms. Fall made me stay after for tutoring... and then I walked home..." It was not unusual for the sisters to walk home after school; they lived close and every street had wide, brightly lit sidewalks, which made their father more comfortable. But it did add time to their schedules.

"Wow, she _really_ hates you." Yang said, giving the small girl's shoulder an empathetic squeeze.

"Yeah. Sorry." Ruby apologized in reference to occupying the stairs, "I'm gonna go take a shower..."

"Have you eaten yet? There are leftovers in the fridge..."

"Not hungry. Too tired." Ruby lumbered past her sister, her arms hanging by her sides as she trudged into her room and closed the door.

"Okay!" Yang called after her, racing down the stairs. She leaped the last three steps, landing with a _thud_ on the main floor of their medium-sized three-story home. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "DAAAAAD!".

From around the corner wafted a faint response, the voice of her father journeying from the basement and through the kitchen. "Whaaaaat Yang?"

Smiling, Yang skipped through the kitchen, her footsteps making the stack of pots and pans soaking in the sink rattle against one another. "There you are!" she called down the steps, leaning against the door frame. The only indication that the basement was occupied was the yellow light splayed across the barren floor, the room otherwise innocuous. "I've got a question for you!"

"And I've got an answer!" her father shouted from out of sight, the sound of a rolling chair scraping across tiles signaling that she had sufficiently distracted him from whatever he was working on. Several moments and clacking footsteps later, he appeared at the bottom of the stairs, leaning on the handrail. Yang and Ruby's father was not particularly unusual; middle-aged, gently overweight but also muscular, with short, wispy tan hair and a similarly colored beard and mustache framing kind purple eyes and a mouth accustomed to smiles. "What can I do you for, hon?"

"Can I borrow the car tomorrow?" Yang asked, grinning.

"What for?"

"I'm taking my friends camping!" she said, an excited twinkle in eye.

"Well, it's kind of short notice... but okay." Her father stroked his beard with a couple fingers, running his tongue over his teeth in contemplative thought.

"Thanks Dad!" Yang yelled, beginning to turn away and head back to her room.

"Wait!" She craned her head back, wobbling on one foot and holding the wall to keep her balance. "You have to take your sister with you."

"What?! Why?"

"She's been so quiet and tired lately, I think it would do her good to get out of the house for a couple days."

"But Daaaaad! It was just supposed to be me and my friends!" Yang stamped her foot and pouted. "What if she doesn't want to go?"

"She goes, or you don't get the car."

"Dad!" Yang cried, her voice screeching with incredulous at her father's lack of fairness. After realizing no amount of tricks or promises to do the dishes were going to work on him, she finally complied. "Fine!" she grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at the wall.

"Oh, lighten up. It'll be fun! I'm sure your friends will enjoy it just the same." He started walking back to his desk in the corner. "And it'll be good for Ruby!"

"That's not the point..." Yang fumed as she walked back up the stairs to her room. It wasn't that she didn't love her younger sister, but she wanted to spend the time with _her_ friends, and having Ruby there... She always had to take her little sister everywhere! Once in a while she wanted to be alone with her friends, instead of having to drag the younger girl along just because 'Dad said so'. Yang breathed out, calming herself as she started up the steps. It wasn't like Ruby was going to embarrass her or anything, right? She could come along, it wasn't _that_ big of a deal. She just wanted her own space sometimes.

The energetic lightness of her gait returned as she reached the top of the stairs, bounding along the hallway as her excitement returned. Her sister hadn't made it to the shower yet, judging by the open bathroom door, so Yang tapped lightly on Ruby's bedroom door. "Ruby? Open up!" she added after getting no response.

She felt, rather than heard, the slow footsteps as Ruby crossed from her bed to the door, the handle twisting as it opened. "What's up, Yang?" Ruby threw a hand up over her mouth to conceal a yawn, her eyelids draped over the majority of her eyes.

"Get ready to go camping! You're coming with us!" Yang said, beaming as her sister raised an eyebrow.

"What..?"

"Dad said you ought to come with us, so pack up, 'cause we leave here at 10:30!"

"But I don't want-"

"No buts! You're coming, so get packing!" Yang turned and left, waving over her shoulder.

"Okay..." There was a quiet '_click_' as Ruby closed her door, followed by several drawers being opened.

* * *

The alarm managed to release one squawking note before Yang pounded the 'Cancel' button, the young blonde girl having awoken minutes before, watching and waiting for the alarm to go off. Erupting out of the bed in a flurry of covers and flailing limbs, Yang quickly dressed in her pre-established outfit of tan cargo shorts that cupped and accentuated her thighs, a black t-shirt that ended just above her navel, and a light yellow sweatshirt with the sleeves wrinkled from being rolled up too often. She jumped into the bathroom to brush down the worst of her bed-head, tying it into a pony-tail before returning to her room to grab her hat and duffel bag.

As she passed Ruby's room, she knocked her knuckles against the door. "Time to get up, sis! We're going camping!" She continued down the hall to the steps, smiling as she heard a muffled groan from the younger girl's room. "Up and at 'em!" she yelled as she rushed down the stairs.

Yang joined her father at the dinner table, the older man reading the newspaper over an empty bowl of cereal and half a cup of steaming black coffee. "Morning, Yang." he said, taking a sip.

"Hey Dad!" she replied, dumping her bag next to her chair and grabbing a bowl, spoon, and cup from the kitchen, helping herself to some of the hot drink. She was scarfing down her cereal when Ruby appeared, dressed, as usual, in her red sweater and black leggings, rubbing her eyes to erase some of her sleepiness.

"Do I have to go camping?"

"Yes!" Yang answered between bites, wiping a drip of milk from her chin.

"No." Their father continued to browse the Classifieds section of the paper, ignoring Yang's angry glare. "But I think you should go. It'll be fun."

Ruby sighed, flopping over and letting her hands dangle towards her feet as she plodded into the kitchen to get her own set of breakfast materials. "Okay..."

After impatiently waiting for Ruby to finish eating and packing their duffels and sleeping bags into the car, Yang closed the driver's door and sent a quick message to Nora and Pyrrha, letting them know she was on her way. She waved goodbye to their father as they pulled out of the driveway, the older man returning the gesture from the porch while taking another sip of coffee. Ruby had decided to sit in the back after being coaxed by Yang, the blonde's argument being that "Pyrrha is so much taller than you, I think she'd be uncomfortable in the back seat."

Their first pick up was Nora, the short ginger-haired girl living about ten minutes away. The energetic teenager joined Ruby in the back after tossing her bags into the trunk, already starting to babble away about her morning. Evidently, she'd had pancakes for breakfast, which she immensely enjoyed. Their next stop was Pyrrha's modest home, about fifteen minutes from Nora's, the redhead waiting for them on the steps with her bag. She took the open passenger's seat, apologizing to Ruby for forcing her to move.

The final stop on their way to the woods was Weiss Schnee's mansion, set deep into the spacious suburbs of Vale. It was a lonely white abode, surrounded by a long, mowed lawn, with a wide, railed porch and an attached two-door garage. "Awww," Nora moaned from the backseat, drawing the other three's attention. "I expected icicles..." the hyperactive teen said with disappointment.

The front door opened just as Yang parked in front of the garage doors, the white-haired, irritable Weiss emerging carrying her duffel, sleeping bag, and backpack. She approached the driver's door, and Yang rolled down the window so they could speak. "Hey there Ice Queen! Ready to go camping?"

Weiss scowled at the word. "You are _early!_" she growled, glaring at the blonde driver. "Tardiness I expected, but _you_ being _early?!_ Unforeseeable!"

"Oh, relax. It's not like you were doing anything else, right? Now hop in, we're losing daylight!" Yang grinned as Weiss' expression soured further, the fractious girl stomping to the trunk and depositing her bags.

As she opened the door and prepared to climb in, she paused, taking a step back and crossing her arms. "Nope." she declared, pointing her nose to the sky.

"What?" Yang asked, craning her head out the window to see what had upset the final member of their crew.

"I am _not_ sitting next to _her_." Weiss pointed into the car, glaring at Yang.

"Relax princess, I don't bite!" Nora's bubbly voice echoed from the back seat.

"I am _not_ a _princess_, you air-headed, miserable little-"

"But your castle is soooo big!"

Yang saw Weiss' face spasm, her face flushing with anger at Nora's interruption, and decided to intervene before her newest friend's blood pressure burst her heart. "Nora, do you promise to be nice?"

"I'm always nice!"

"Yeah, but I need you to _promise_ you'll be nice to Weiss."

"Okay! I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

Weiss simply glowered at the blonde, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you really expect me to be convinced by a _promise_?"

Pyrrha leaned over from the passenger seat, speaking loudly to be heard through the car. "Don't worry, Weiss, I'll keep an eye on her for you."

"Don't bother. I've changed my mind, I'm staying home. Have fun without me." Weiss turned back to her house, taking three brisk steps before Yang's taunting voice reached her.

"Okay! I guess I'll just let the _whole school_ know that Weiss Schnee is scared of the woods..." She drew out the words, waggling her eyebrows as Weiss turned back to the car. The look she received from those icy blue eyes would have killed a lesser person, but Yang merely smirked at the girl's barely restrained fury. "Too easy..." she muttered to herself, shaking her head and shifting into reverse while Weiss clambered into the car.

* * *

The drive to the campsite passed with surprisingly little incident, the only true problem arising when Nora _really really really_ wanted to see what was out the window, scrambling across Weiss in a tangle of arms, legs, and particularly vicious threats. Only a quick reaction from Pyrrha saved Nora from being strangled by Weiss' thin, pale hands. Yang had turned on the radio, loud rock music competing with the wind blowing through the open windows. Things calmed down as they entered the forest, Pyrrha and Yang nodding their heads in time to the rhythm while Nora bobbed in her seat, trying to distract herself away from playing with Weiss' flowing white hair. Weiss was reading over one of her essays on her laptop, wracking her brain to find the reason she agreed to go on this trip in the first place and silently wishing agony on her orange-haired neighbor. Ruby was asleep, and had been for the majority of the ride, her head propped against the window, gentle snores being drowned out by the music.

Somehow, when they arrived at their campsite, Nora was the first one out of the car, chased by shrill curses from a ruffled Weiss. The camp was a wide, circular cleared area covered in gravel with patches of the soft, bright green grass of Spring protruding through. In the center was a ring of larger, blackened rocks, the remains of a makeshift fire pit from the previous group of campers. Four fat logs were arrayed in a square around the pit, their dull brown trunks baking in the mid-afternoon sun.

Yang stepped out of the car and took a deep breath, sighing contentedly and turning to look at Weiss as the latter clambered out of the back seat, her laptop clutched in her left hand. "Don't ya love the smell of that fresh mountain air, Ice Queen?"

Weiss looked over at her with a sullen frown, her mouth pinched tight in an expression of displeased contempt. "Yes, it's lovely. How long do we have to be here again?" She waved away a curious gnat that had flown too close to her nose, clamping her hand onto her hip after it decided she wasn't worth investigating.

"Just through tonight and tomorrow morning!" Yang slapped Weiss on the back as she walked to the car's trunk, a wide grin spreading across her face. "It's gonna be a ton of fun!"

"I'm sure..." Weiss grumbled, watching Nora walk along the length of one of the trunks, hands held far to the side to help maintain her balance. "Well, what do we do first?"

"Normally," Yang said, leaning over to unlatch the trunk, "the first thing we do is set up the tents!" She heaved the trunk open, her arms lifting over her head as she pushed the door to its upper limit. "After that we can go hiking, or gather firewood, or just sit around and hang out!" She missed Weiss' grimace of disapproval as she leaned into the car, rummaging through the tall pile of bags. "Hey Ruby?" she called, her voice muffled by the car's interior. "Where'd you put tents?"

"Mmm-wha?" Ruby mumbled, blinking slowly and stretching as she woke up. "What'd you say, Yang?"

"Where did you put the tents? You know, the things we're going to sleep in?"

"I thought... I thought you got the tents?" Ruby answered, rubbing her eyes and climbing out of the car to join her sister by the trunk.

"No, I got everything _but _the tents. You were supposed to get the tents!"

"Are you saying..." Weiss' cold, threatening voice pierced into the sisters' conversation, "that we are going to have to sleep... in the open... in this _wilderness_?!" For the first time since she'd met her, Weiss saw Yang's face lose it's smile and happy-go-lucky brightness. She would have enjoyed it, except she was far too angry. "Don't you know there are BEARS, or MOUNTAIN LIONS that could be out here, waiting for a meal as easy as five girls sleeping in the open?"

"Or the monster!" Nora chimed in from across the campsite.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Yes, or the _monster_, which we all know is _totally_ a possibility." The vein on her forehead was throbbing and red, her face locked in a scowl of irritation.

In a snap, Yang's face and attitude returned to normal, her smile returning to shine at the glowering Schnee. "Naaaah!" she said, waving away Weiss' concerns. "It'll be fun! The open air, the stars overhead, the wind brushing across our faces..."

"The bugs, the beasts, the possibility of rain..." Weiss countered, raising an accompanying finger with each point.

"Chill out, Ice Queen!" Yang laughed, slinging her arm around Weiss' shoulders, much to the latter's annoyance. "It'll be fun. Now, who's up for a hike?"

"Ooh! Me! Me me me!" Nora shouted, hopping up and down energetically.

"I'll come!" Pyrrha raised her hand, a thin smile across her face.

"Weiss?"

"No. Thank. You." Weiss growled out, her teeth chomping the end of each word. "_I_ have an essay to write. Which I will be doing from right..." She stomped over to one of the logs, plopping down stubbornly onto the smooth wood. "...here."

"Suit yourself! Ruby, you coming?"

The younger sister was leaning against the car, looking like she was about to fall asleep at any moment. "I don't think so. Thanks though."

"Okay! You get to keep the Ice Queen company! Be careful, I don't know what I'd do if my only sister got turned into a popsicle!"

"Shut up, Xiao Long!" Weiss glared at her screen as the three pairs of footsteps bled away amongst the sounds of birds and the wind, Pyrrha, Nora, and that utterly detestable Yang Xiao Long going for a hike. With luck, they'd be gone until early evening, leaving her time to complete the second of the three essays. A quiet sigh and the sound of boots crunching on twigs drew her eyes upward, and she watched as Ruby walked toward the edge of the campsite. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get some kindling, maybe look for some larger wood. Yang likes a big campfire, and I'm pretty sure Nora does too." Ruby said, sticking her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt.

Weiss rolled her eyes, scoffing quietly. "She most likely does, I agree." She returned her gaze to her laptop, opening up the essay and focusing her mind.

"Um... hey Weiss?" Ruby's timid voice made Weiss sigh and turn her head, the young girl's eyes downcast as she rubbed her arm nervously.

"Yes?"

"Can... can I ask you something?" Ruby sat on the other end of Weiss' log, twiddling her thumbs.

Weiss sighed again, louder this time, and closed her laptop. It seemed the whole family was determined to keep her from completing her assignments. "By all means, ask away." she said, not bothering to disguise her irritation. "I'm totally not trying to work, or anything."

"Sorry." Ruby fidgeted on the log, her boots carving small swathes of twigs and refuse. "It's... um, well... it's about school..."

"Yes?" Weiss prompted, waving her hand in a circle to try and draw the question from the red-haired girl and so get closer to resuming her work.

"About... Ms. Fall's class..."

"Let me stop you right there." Weiss said, holding up a hand. "I'm really sorry, Ruby, but I don't know anything about calculus, so I can't help you." She reopened her laptop, twisting her body to face away from Ruby.

"Oh... okay." Ruby mumbled, standing and walking into the woods to get some firewood.

* * *

Weiss clicked 'save' milliseconds before Yang landed beside her on the log, the three hikers returning just as the sun was dipping behind the backs of the hundreds of trees, the light illuminating the veins in all the fresh Spring leaves. "I'm back! Miss me, Ice Queen?" Yang said loudly, beaming at the white-haired girl.

"Like plants miss a drought..." Weiss deadpanned, shutting down her computer and stuffing it back into her backpack.

"Great!" Yang elbowed Weiss in the shoulder, earning herself a top-rate glare from her classmate. "Now comes the fun part! The fire! Hey, Ruby!" Yang called, standing and crossing the campsite toward her sister. "Did you get the firewood?"

"I'll get the hotdogs and the skewers!" Pyrrha said, walking toward the car.

The first stars were visible above the floating sparks and rising smoke of their campfire, the five girls sitting in an uneven circle around the burning wood, spits in hand and hotdogs cooking. Yang and Pyrrha sat across from Ruby and Nora; Weiss sat alone, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched the flames lick across her dinner.

"What's the matter, Ice Queen? You look cold..." Yang said, the fire's reflection dancing in her eyes as she looked at Weiss. "You wanna borrow my sweater?"

Weiss sighed, unwilling to admit her discomfort to the vivacious blonde, and even more unwilling to accept her sweater. The thing looked like it was decades old and had never been washed. And it was _Yang's_. "No, thanks. I'll just get my own from my bag..." She started to push herself to her feet, but slipped on a pile of leaves and fell backwards. Her hands swung in wide circles as she tried to catch herself, and her hotdog flew from her skewer and sailed off into the forest. "Well that's fucking great..." she huffed, wiping her hair out of her eyes and glad that the darkness hid her flustered blush. She had completely embarrassed herself in front of Yang; the blonde was surely never going to let her forget it.

"No worries, Weiss. We've got plenty more! I'll get one started for 'ya!" Yang offered, a fist barely covering her grin.

Weiss stood, more with more care this time, and brushed herself off. "Th...Thank you." she said, handing Yang her skewer and clomping across the campsite toward the car. Yang watched her go, absentmindedly placing another hotdog onto the stick and hovering it over the cavorting flames.

"Yang..." The blonde's gaze switched from Weiss to Pyrrha, the tall girl's green eyes looking at her doubtingly.

"What?"

"I know you like her, but you're really pushing it..." Pyrrha whispered, turning to check on the condition of her hotdog.

"What do you mean?" Yang narrowed her eyes at her red-haired friend.

"You're smothering her! Give her some space! You don't even know if she's gay, yet you keep trying to force her to like you."

"I'm not forcing her!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and groaned. "You threatened to tell the whole school she was scared of a stupid urban legend if she didn't come camping with us! You're coming on way too strong, and I don't think she's even interested..."

"Alright, listen here Pyrrha..." Yang grumbled, pulling her hotdog from the fire. "When you get that Jaune guy to ask you out, I'll listen to your advice. Until then, I'm going to keep doing things my way."

"I'm just saying... maybe you should slow down. You don't even know if she's into girls!" Pyrrha said, shrugging while placing her hotdog into a bun.

"Well," Yang peered over Pyrrha's shoulders as Weiss was walking back to the fire, pulling at the bottom of her blue sweater so it lay smooth. "let's find out right now." Yang stood, returning Weiss' skewer to the white-haired girl, who accepted it with a quiet 'Thank you'. As the last member of her group sat, Yang cleared her throat, drawing all four pairs of eyes. "Okay then, ladies..." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, the fire casting an evil shadow over her face as she put her hands on her hips. "Let's talk about boys!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Sorry if this chapter was a little rough. That's what I get for coming back to this story after over a month. Good thing I kept some notes...

I haven't written anything in about a week, and it's being surprisingly difficult to get back in the writing 'mood'.

To everyone who voted in the poll: After I finish this story, I promise to start 'Coup'. I'm still fleshing out the details and need something more concrete to work on in the meantime.

**Please remember to review/follow/favorite the story.**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	3. Silver and Gold

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Notes: **I don't really have an update schedule for this story. Right now I'm just putting a chapter out when it's done. If you have preferences for releases, you can leave it in a review or private message me.

* * *

"Must we?" Weiss groaned, leveling her disapproving gaze onto the blonde.

"Absolutely! It's camping tradition!" Yang's face grew falsely serious before a grin broke through. "Isn't that right, Nora?"

"You bet! Camping is for talking about boys, telling ghost stories, and roasting marshmallows!"

"Why don't you start us off, Nora?"

"With pleasure!" The bouncy girl swallowed a last mouthful of hotdog, drawing in a long breath. "Okay, so, my crush's name is Ren. Well, his full name is Lie Ren, but everyone calls him 'Ren', especially me." Her hands held each other, waving from side to side as she gazed up at the stars. "He's got black hair, and these eyes that just make you wanna squeeze him! They're ma-gent-a, and I could probably look at them all day." Nora put her elbows on her knees, resting her head in her hands and staring into the fire. "He's super nice, and really quiet and shy, but he's also super smart. And he's my neighbor and my best friend and we're gonna be together forever and if any girl other than me tries to take him I'm gonna break her legs."

Weiss' head snapped to Nora, her brows furrowed in surprise. She hadn't taken the bubbly, smiles-only, up-in-your-face girl to be... violent. While she stared with new respect for the short ginger, Yang sighed and poked at the fire with her skewer. "Nora, all you ever talk about is Ren. Aren't there any other boys you want to talk about?"

"Nope!"

"Alright... Ruby, you're next!"

Ruby looked up from her cooking hotdog, first at Yang's cheerful eyes and then Weiss' sullen expression. "Oh... um, I don't really want to talk about it..."

A wide smile sprang onto Yang's face, and she leaned forward. "Oh? Does my little sister have a crush?" She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Did someone ask you out? Did _you _ask someone out? Spill!"

Ruby shook her head slowly. "No, no! Nothing like that... I just..." She looked at the ground, her voice growing quieter and her arms pulling inward. "I just really don't want to talk about that stuff." she said, rubbing at her forearm.

"Huh... well, okay." Yang's excitement waned and she seemed to deflate, her lips thinning in disappointment. She turned to look at Weiss, and the white-haired girl groaned when she saw the blonde's eyes suddenly light up again, a mischievous grin creasing her face. "Your turn, Weiss!" she sang, winking.

"I pass." Weiss said, staring glumly at her hotdog, sizzling and dripping with grease as it was bathed in flame.

"You can't." Yang shook her head, wagging her finger. "That's against the rules!"

Weiss shrugged, her face completely neutral. "Ruby passed. So I pass."

"Mmm... nope." Yang emphasized the 'P'. "Ruby is my sister, so the rules don't apply to her. _You_, however," She pointed at Weiss' nose, "are bound by the codes of camping conduct." She leaned forward again, resting her head on her hand. "So start talking!"

"I refuse."

Yang blew out in a long sigh, shaking her head in disappointment. "If you insist. I guess I'll just have to upload those pictures..."

Weiss sat up, turning her head and narrowing her eyes at the blonde. "_What_ pictures..."

"Wouldn't you like to know..." Yang said through a devious smirk.

"Xiao Long..!" Weiss started to stand, forgetting about her dinner and dropping the skewer as her hands balled into fists. "You. Will. Tell. Me. _What_-"

A hand thrust in front of her nose, the outward facing palm halting her in her tracks. "All you have to do is just... tell us a little about some boys. Maybe just one... I don't know. And then you won't have to worry about the pictures." Yang met Weiss' glare, her purple eyes stubborn and mocking.

Weiss thought for a moment, her fists still clenched by her hips and her eyes searching Yang's for any hint of trickery or deceit. "Just. One." She said, gambling that her 'boy' was not as embarrassing as Yang's pictures. She really needed to stop giving the blonde ammunition to blackmail her with. She returned to her seat with a huff, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground. Yang settled back on her log, unable to stop herself from wiggling. "There's this one guy who keeps trying to flirt with me. I think he said his name was... John? I don't really remember. Anyway, he's blond with blue eyes, kinda tall, a little athletic looking. And I _don't _like him!" She growled, pointing a warning finger at Yang. "He keeps trying to do stupid stuff to get me to go out with him. He brought a guitar to our history class, and decided to 'serenade' me into going to prom with him." She harrumphed, swung her hair over her shoulder, and leaned down to grab her skewer from the dirt, inspecting her hot dog for grime. "As if." She turned back to Yang, a frosty sneer coating her face. "Does that _satisfy_ you, Xiao Long?" Her eyes narrowed as she saw the blonde shaking with laughter, Yang's eyes wide and watering as she tried to quiet herself. "What?"

"Ugh." Pyrrha groaned, leaning forward to frown at Weiss around the giggling Yang. "So, firstly, his name is _Jaune_, and he's very nice, and very smart, and handsome." She picked up a stick and started aggressively poking the embers. "And he'd be pretty good at track, if he ever bothered to learn some technique..."

Yang's laughter barked into the darkness, and she clutched her stomach while rocking on the log. "Oh... oh my god. Holy shit, this is great." She wiped her eyes, her unsteady breath occasionally interrupted by latent chuckles. "Don't mind her, Ice Queen. Pyrrha's just pissed 'cause... ha ha... 'cause _her _crush is after _you_!" She waved her face dry, finally recovering herself. "Anyone... _else_?" she asked Weiss, waggling her brows.

"No." Weiss said, quickly and stern. She looked back at the fire, pushing sparks into the air by jabbing her stick against a burning log. "Boys aren't really my... interest, at the moment." She'd been trying to focus on her studies and adjusting to the new school and area, and her parents kept bringing up 'employment' over dinner.

She missed the excited glimmer in Yang's eyes as the blonde turned to Pyrrha, the redhead rolling her eyes and giving the blonde a brusque thumbs-up. "Well," Yang said, slapping her hands on her knees, "since we all know who _Pyrrha's _crush is, I guess I'll go!"

"By all means, please enlighten us..." Weiss grumbled, just loud enough for the blonde to hear, stabbing harder into the fire.

"My crush is really smart, like _really _smart, and they have great hair, and they're super hot." Yang said, her eyes stuck on Weiss. "When they talk to me it feels like the world gets brighter, and looking into their eyes is the highlight of my day. The best part is they're so cute and they don't even know it."

"Sounds like quite a catch." Weiss commented, slouching over and putting her chin on her hand.

"Well, there are two major problems..." Yang sighed and leaned back, putting her hands by her sides. "They kind of have an attitude problem, and they also don't know I'm interested."

"Whart err you gonna do?" Nora asked over the fire, her mouth crammed with marshmallows.

"Nora! Those are for later!" Yang feigned a glare at her friend. "And I don't know yet... Any suggestions, Ice Queen?"

Weiss cackled. "You're asking me for relationship advice?" Her grin fell when she saw that Yang was serious, the blonde's neutral expression staring at her, waiting for an answer. "Well, the logical thing to do first would be to make him aware that you're interested, right?" she said with a shrug, looking to the others for confirmation, but none of the other girls were paying attention. Nora was stuffing her face with marshmallows; Pyrrha seemed upset, jabbing her stick into the heart of the embers, the corners of her mouth turned downward; Ruby could have been asleep, she was so still, but her eyes were wide open, staring at the fire.

"So I should start with that?"

"Ye-" Weiss turned back to the blonde, and jerked away when she found Yang had moved closer to her, leaning in so their faces were inches apart. "Yeah. I would." she finished, recovering her composure.

Yang smiled brightly and straightened herself. "Okay. Thanks Weiss!" Yang flashed another grin, winking at the white-haired girl. "Hey Pyrrha, could you get the marshmallows away from Nora before she eats them all?" Yang stood, once again placing her hands on her hips as a symbol of her authority. "Okay! Time for s'mores and ghost stories!"

...

Weiss yawned, exhaling a long and noisy breath, her head propped up on her elbow. After finishing with the s'mores, and she had to admit that the way Yang made them was excellent, the girls had set up their sleeping bags in a circle around the campfire, snuggling deep into the thick, warm sacks. The trash and remaining food had been gathered up and stored in the car, out of concern for nocturnal residents of the forest. She still didn't like sleeping out in the open, without even a foam pad to reduce the lumpiness of the forest floor, but resigned herself to the discomfort. It was just for one night, after all.

The crackling flames had died down to dim embers, a weak red glow lighting the faces of the five campers as they slowly edged closer to slumber. "And they were never seen... AGAIN!" Nora said, waving her hands in the air as she finished her story. "So what did you think, guys? Scared?"

Nora's retelling of 'The Headless Horseman', edited for a modern audience with additional explosions and action-packed gunfights, had nearly put Weiss to sleep rather than frighten, or even entertain her. "I think my favorite part was the end..." Weiss said, glowering at the orange-haired girl through heavy eyelids.

"The part where his head gets shot out of a cannon? I like that part too!"

"No, the part where you finally shut up."

"Oh..."

Yang shuffled around in her bag, raising herself with her arms. "Damn, Ice Queen. That was cold, even for you."

Weiss thought for a moment, her mouth thinning. "I suppose so. Sorry, Nora." Not really. Well, maybe a little. "I get temperamental when I'm tired."

Nora beamed, twisting onto her back. "Don't sweat it, Weiss!" Her smile looked odd upside-down.

"Hmm." Weiss hummed tiredly, rolling onto her stomach and closing her eyes. "Well, as much... fun... as this has been, I think I'm done for the night..."

She heard a yawn from Yang's bag. "Yeah, me too. Goodnight everyone!"

Weiss listened as both Pyrrha and Nora said their 'goodnight's, the scratching sound of zippers being pulled shut following close behind. She twisted to reach for her own, but stopped when she saw Ruby sitting upright, taking off her red sweatshirt. Surely it was the twilight, and the still-flickering shadows, that made those dark marks on Ruby's arms? "Ruby?"

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise; she clutched her sweatshirt to her chest and hid her arms behind the red fabric. "Eep!" she squealed, her head whipping to look at Weiss. "Oh, Weiss. I... I thought you were asleep..."

Weiss yawned again, halfheartedly covering her mouth with a hand. "I'm getting there. Why are you taking off your sweatshirt?" she asked, pointing. "Won't you be cold?" Although it was April, it still often dropped below fifty degrees at night, and they were also in the mountains.

"Um... no, I don't think so." Ruby's shoulders relaxed a little, and she tossed the sweatshirt onto the edge of her sleeping bag. "My bag is really warm, I was worried about being too hot..." A small grin poked at the edges of her mouth as she lay down, pulling her pillow under her head. "Thanks though."

"Yeah, sure." Weiss breathed, rolling over and closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight Weiss. Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

"Or the monster!" Yang's voice whispered from behind her, the last thing Weiss heard before she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

The forest was quiet tonight. The tiny animals that normally skittered and chirped in the chilly evenings were silent, hiding in burrows and nests as she stalked through the trees, the golden disks of her eyes flashing bright in the unobscured moonlight. Her pale, supple skin stretched and flexed like smooth water as she prowled, her ears, tufted with soft black fur, swiveling to and fro as they listened for any small disturbance in the hushed darkness. The creatures had grown to be wary of her presence, quickly learning to remain unseen during her waking hours. And that made hunting very difficult. She lifted her nose to the sky, breathing in quick snuffs as she searched the darkness for any trace of food.

Nothing, just the first traces of rain. It would get here soon, likely in the next day or two. She didn't like rain.

Her stomach growled, drawing her attention away from the far-off storm and back to her search for food. She pressed a hand with long nails blackened by dirt to her belly, rubbing it in slow, small circles to dry and assuage her discomfort. She was hungry, very hungry. When was the last time she ate? She was thinking too much, not hunting enough. She sniffed the air again, closing her eyes and breathing deep, trying to focus past the dampness of the rain and into the sweet, vibrant and earthy smells of nearby food. There were wild berries not too far away.

Black hair met sticky black juice and clung to her chin, tickling her lips as she chewed. The berries were lush and tasty, but meager; food for birds and squirrels, her normal prey. Her bare feet, calloused and rough from years of walking through the forest's wilds, crunched across the dead, bone-dry leaves from last Autumn, their budding cousins rustling on the boughs above. April was nice. It was warmer, and the flowers smelled pretty, but it rained a lot. And she didn't like rain.

She wiped her hands on the front of her ragged and torn black shirt that was ages old, scooping her hair away from her mouth while her eyes hunted for more food. Seeing nothing, even with her exceptional eyesight that could pick out a squirrel hiding in the tallest oak tree, she resorted to using her nose once again, breathing deep. A luscious, succulent smell filled her nostrils, her head turning involuntarily to follow the scent. Her feet moved, her eyes searched for the source of this heavenly smell, and her tongue wet her lips. She was still hungry.

It was meat. It was cooked meat. It was thin, cylindrical, red, and didn't look a lot like food, but it smelled like cooked meat. It tasted delicious. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she took another bite and savored the smoky taste, a quiet moan of satisfaction leaking out of her mouth. She wolfed down the rest, chewing loudly as she crouched on the ground, the fraying hem of her black shorts brushing her calves. Her eyes scanned the area, hoping for more small cylinders of meat. A dull red glimmer at the top of a small hill captured her gaze, and she tilted her head in curiosity. Light?

Campers!

Her cautious approach had revealed five slumbering humans, wrapped in thick, cozy bags. She sat by the dying remains of their fire, warming her hands and feet while keeping a nervous watch on the sleeping campers. She had been warned about campers, about people, by Him, but in her experience campers had nice things. Maybe these campers had more food? Or books? She liked books. But she could already tell that these campers were not the usual campers. They had no tents. She smirked to herself, carefully containing her giggles. What silly campers, not bringing tents! They had better get some before that rain arrived.

A loud snort from behind her made her leap to her feet, her eyes wide and her ears flat against her head. Her head whipped around, staring frightfully at one of the sleeping people. The girl had white hair, and it lay chaotic and messy, strewn around her head like a ripped veil. She could see the girl's eyes moving beneath their lids, and relaxed slightly. She inspected the rest of the campers, roaming around the campsite counter-clockwise at the edge of the fire's light, now wary of waking any of the sleeping people. The blonde was grinning in her sleep, drool leaking between her teeth. The redhead looked serene, breathing slowly and smoothly with the edge of her bag pulled up to her ear. The orange-haired girl was snoring boisterously, and she wondered how the others slept with such noise.

The final girl was noticeably younger, the last vestiges of childish chubbiness visible in her cheeks. She had short reddish hair and thin white fingers that clutched at the edge of her pillow, quiet hums of deep slumber sounding with every breath. Crouching beside the girl, she watched her sleep, curiously enraptured by the fluttering eyelids. Looking down the girl's body, her eyebrows rose happily when she spotted a red sweatshirt resting on top of the sleeping bag.

New clothes...

A sweatshirt with a hood would keep her warmer and drier from the rain. A sweatshirt was even better than books! She leaned forward, placing one hand on the ground to steady herself while the other grabbed one of the sleeves, the fabric feeling soft and protective. "Mine!" she whispered, her mouth opening as she concentrated on not losing her balance.

A quiet gasp made her freeze, her eyes going wide and her ears flicking forward and listening for danger. She slowly tilted her head downwards, her stare tracing along the ground until it rested on the girl's head. The human's eyes were wide open, staring back at her. They were silver. They were scared. She watched as the girl looked at her eyes, then at the top of her head, then back to her eyes. She didn't dare to breathe, sitting completely still, half-leaning over the girl's abdomen. She closed her mouth and gulped. "Umm..." she murmured, her eyes locked to those silver orbs of fear.

The girl screamed. The screeching sound pierced into her ears, which flattened against the noise, a pained grimace twisting her face. The girl was still screaming, pushing herself away and trying to remove herself from the constricting sleeping bag. The noise hurt, and she was scared. She had been seen by a human. He had said that humans were scared of her, He had said to be careful of humans. He had been right. She leapt to her feet, grabbed the sweatshirt from where it fell onto the ground, and ran, her heels kicking up gravel and grass as she bolted into the forest.

The forest wasn't quiet anymore. The sound of her panting breath bounced off tree trunks, her footsteps loud and crunchy as she raced between the trees and over twisted roots, the sweatshirt held tightly in her hands. The screaming chased her, still audible to her heightened hearing as she increased her distance. Other voices joined the screaming, more shouts and angry words and still the screaming followed her into the dark forest, haunting her thoughts.

She had been seen by a human.

* * *

"_WHAT_ are you trying to pull, Xiao Long?" Weiss screeched, levering herself upright and glaring at the blonde's sleeping bag, her face contorted in an ugly grimace of rage. Her ire settled when she noticed the bag was empty after blinking away the tendrils of sleep that clouded her vision. She crossed her arms, searching around the campsite for the tricky, immature, and disruptive girl. Her gaze found Yang crouching beside her sister, confused concern swirling in her lilac eyes. "What is going on?"

Yang turned her head at the question, her lips thinning. "I don't know. I think Ruby had a nightmare?" she shrugged.

"No!" the younger sister gasped, swatting at the arms that wrapped around her shoulders. "It... it was... it was the _monster!_" She fell onto her back, one arm covering her eyes as she took deep breaths. "It was... it was right over me! Reaching for me!"

"I knew it!" Nora's voice cheered from across the smoldering campfire.

Rolling her eyes at her energetic friend, Yang turned back to her terrified sister. "Ruby... the monster isn't real. Everyone knows that. It's a joke, an urban legend!"

"No, it was real!"

Nora appeared by her side, turquoise eyes glittering excitedly. "Ooh, ooh! What did it look like?" She sat down cross-legged, hovering over Ruby. "Ren and I have a bet going. I think it looks like a yeti, but he says a werewolf!"

Yang pushed at her friend, giving her an annoyed frown. "Nora... come on..."

Ruby, hiccuping and sniffling, pushed herself up, hugging her arms to her chest. The dark marks Weiss had noticed earlier now appeared to be smears of dirt or soot, the young girl having scrambled on the ground in fear. "It... it had fangs. And claws. And long, pointed ears on top of its head, like a cat. I... I really didn't get a good look at it, it was too dark. But its eyes..." She shivered. "Its eyes were cold yellow, and... hungry."

"Huh..." Nora said, pursing her lips. "Kinda sounds like Ms. Fall, minus the ears..."

Yang leaned her head back, a single sharp laugh erupting into the night. "Ha! It does!" She gave her sister a skeptical look. "Ruby, I know Ms. Fall hates you and is mean and everything, but she's not a _monster_. You just had a nightmare!"

"But..!"

Yang kissed the top of Ruby's head. "Go back to sleep, Ruby." She stood and walked carefully back to her sleeping bag, giving Weiss a shrug. "Sorry about that, Ice Queen." She wriggled underneath the cover, winking a smirking purple eye at Weiss' scowl. "See ya in the morning!"

Weiss harrumphed, turning her head away from the blonde. Her gaze fell on Ruby, and she watched as the wide silver eyes flicked back and forth, searching the darkness. At every squawk or snap, Ruby would flinch and cower towards the fire, like a frightened animal. "Hey, Ruby?" The girl's head whipped to her. "It's okay to be scared, but it was just a nightmare. It's not real."

Ruby stared at her for a long moment, finally nodding gently. "Mmm."

"Okay? Good." She yawned and rolled over, pulling up the edge of her sleeping bag. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Hey Weiss?"

"What?" she groaned. She was tired and wanted to go back to sleep.

"You're kind of nice, sometimes."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "No I'm not, I'm just too tired to be angry right now."

"Oh..." A couple seconds of silence. "Can... can I tell you something?"

"No." She thought for a moment, then added, "Save it for the morning, I'm sleeping right now."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Still not sure if the story reads as well as it used to. Writing multiple characters at once is weird.

I'd enjoy your impressions of Blake; whether you liked her introduction or not, how she feels as a character, etc.

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story.**

**Thank you for reading.**

**Keep moving forward.**


	4. Sunday

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

Bright light flickered across her eyelids, tempting them open against her will. She was staring at a cloudy gray sky, thin fog making the treetops look blurry and dull. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, feeling the cold, damp mountain air filling her lungs. "Mornin' Ice Queen!" Weiss screwed her eyes shut tighter at the sound of the ever-cheerful and always-obnoxious voice of Yang Xiao Long, silently cursing that she still had to spend the rest of the weekend with the peppy blonde.

She peeked one eye open and was met with a wide smile, Yang crouching over her and grinning ear to ear. "Good morning, Xiao Long."

Yang rolled her eyes and sighed in mock exasperation. "Again with the 'Xiao Long' thing? What's it gonna take to get you to just call me 'Yang'?" she said, resting her head on her wrist. After waiting for a moment, she shrugged and rose to her feet. "Anyway, it's time to get up! I'm making coffee and Nora's making pancakes." her voice called as she walked out of view.

Weiss pushed herself up to a sitting position, scanning her eyes around their campsite. Clear droplets of dew hung from the tips of every blade of grass and dripped off the waterproof lining of her sleeping bag. The logs were colored a deeper shade of brown from the dampness, and a small fire danced in the firepit, wispy white smoke drifting leisurely towards the sky like a ghostly snake. Pyrrha was by the edge of the campsite, dressed in sweatpants and a light jacket, doing warm-up stretches. Nora and Yang were chatting as they knelt in the dirt in front of a gas-powered portable stove lain on one of the logs, an old scratched percolator steaming on one side while a black-handled griddle sat on the other. Swiveling her head around, she finally spotted Ruby. The young girl was sitting on the log that was beside her red sleeping bag, her knees tucked under her chin and rocking back and forth.

Weiss unzipped her sleeping bag and pulled it off her legs, her skin prickling against the cold air that flooded into the space left by the warm covers. She slipped on her shoes and quickly tied them, standing with a groan and walking to the two girls by the stove. Plopping herself on the log, she covered a yawn and blinked sleepily at Yang. "So..." she said, putting her hands in her lap. She was glad she had worn her sweater to bed; the morning was chilly and wet. She wouldn't be surprised if she'd caught a cold in her sleep. "What are we doing today?"

Yang looked up at her with a grin. "Anything you want! After breakfast, all that's left to do before we leave is pack up!"

Weiss yawned again, rubbing at her eyes. "The sooner we're out of here the better..."

"Aww, are you not having fun?"

"Somehow, camping without tents and being woken up in the middle of the night doesn't really satisfy my definition of the word 'fun'." she said, glowering at the blonde. "I think I caught pneumonia, sleeping out in the open like this..."

"Heh, yeah..." Yang gave her an awkward grin and glanced at the ground. "Sorry about that. I still don't know what the deal with her is..." she said, looking over at her sister. "But she seems really freaked out. Maybe she did see a monster?"

Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Please." She leaned over and looked at the griddle, which was cooking four small, perfectly round pancakes. "Where did you even _get _pancake mix?"

Nora, clutching a spatula in her hand like a club, looked up at her and smiled wide. "A Valkyrie never leaves the house without pancake mix! Well, that's not completely true. Like, I don't go to _school _with pancake mix, but whenever I go on a trip I bring some!" She poked at the browning batter with the spatula, testing its doneness. "After that, you just add water and stir like crazy!"

"Uh huh..." Her attention shifted from the orange-haired girl to a steaming ceramic mug that was pushed into her hands, and she glanced up at Yang. "What's this?"

"Coffee! I told you I was making some."

"Right. Thank you." She stood, holding the warm cup with both hands, and crossed to Ruby, settling herself on the log beside the rocking girl. "Good morning, Ruby."

Silver eyes flicked to her, then returned to the small fire. "Hey."

"Do you want some coffee? You look tired." Ruby's eyes were wide and staring, dark circles like shadows underneath the sterling irises. Weiss held out the mug, but Ruby made no movement towards it.

"No thanks. Yang doesn't make coffee how I like it."

"Oh? How do you normally drink it?"

"With cream and five sugars."

Weiss' face puckered at the thought of all that sweetness, and she turned away so Ruby wouldn't see her grimace. "O-Okay. Well, are you cold? You're shivering. Where's your sweatshirt?" Weiss looked around, quickly looking over Ruby's sleeping bag and behind the log.

Ruby shrugged. "Don't know. Can't find it."

"She can borrow one of mine..." Pyrrha said from behind them, walking over after finishing her stretches. "It might be a little big..." She passed them, heading for her bag in the car.

"Well, why don't you move closer to the fire? You're going to catch a cold..."

A tiny smile pulled at Ruby's mouth as she let herself get pushed beside the fire, her hands held towards the small, dancing flames. "I told you you were kind of nice..." she whispered as she set her chin on her knee.

"I... uh... well, it's just... um..." Weiss stammered before sighing. "Don't tell anyone, especially your sister! I have a reputation to uphold." she whispered, tilting her head upwards.

Ruby giggled. "Okay. I promise I won't tell Yang." She breathed out, and the smile disappeared, replaced by a sad, distant expression. "Hey Weiss, can I ask you something?"

"I'm sorry Ruby, but I still don't think you saw 'the monster'."

"It's not about that, it's about-"

"Here you go!" Pyrrha called, tossing a dark gray sweatshirt to Weiss, who floundered as she tried to catch it one-handed and wound up spilling half of the coffee onto the ground. "Oops! Sorry! It's just the school's gym sweatshirt, but it's warm and I just washed it!"

"Thanks Pyrrha..." Weiss said, trying to smile but only frowning at her embarrassing display of coordination. "Here," she said to Ruby, handing the younger girl the sweatshirt, "put this on and get warm, and I'll go get you some breakfast." She stood and walked away, reassuming her frosty attitude.

"But... okay..." Ruby's outstretched arm fell back to her side, and she sighed as she pulled Pyrrha's sweater over her head.

* * *

A droplet of cold water fell from a branch above her head and landed on her ear, the tufted appendage reflexively flicking the moisture off. Her stare remained unbroken by the chilling wetness, one golden eye peeking around the trunk and through the needles of a broad pine tree and carefully watching the five humans as they wandered around the flat, grassy campsite.

She had barely slept at all, her mind filled with panicked and terrifying scenarios of crowds of humans trudging through the forest, searching for her. They would have guns, and flashlights, and, the most worrying of all, _dogs._ She had crept back to the camp after depositing her newly acquired sweatshirt into the safety of her den, mindful of every footstep and creaking twig. The forest's creatures had returned into the open, as if sensing her fear and unease, their chatters and caws mocking her from out of reach.

Dawn had found her huddled on an upper bough of the pine tree, her hands sticky with sap and her hair riddled with stiff, stinky needles. She had watched the fog roll in, the preamble for the storm that she had smelled the previous night, and her nerves only rose at the thought of being caught outside in the rain. Her body was exhausted, begging for her to go home and sleep, snuggled in the new, warm clothes she had stolen. But she had to _know_ that she was safe from these campers before she could relax.

The girl who had seen her never went back to sleep, as far as she could tell from the distance she put between them. She had sat by the dying fire, her head twisting at every nocturnal creature's cry. When morning came, and the others began to rise, she still didn't move, just sat and rocked with her arms wrapped around her knees. The blonde had quickly checked on her, but walked away after only a few moments, and nothing changed.

She had cringed and pushed herself closer to the tree trunk as the blonde and the orange-haired girl entered the forest towards her, picking small sticks off the ground, remaining still until they returned to the campsite and threw their haul into the pit. The orange-haired girl started a small fire while the blonde pulled several odd objects out of their car.

Her hunger was reignited by the wafting smell of... something. It smelled definitively brown, bitter and strong, but faintly tasty. She swallowed and licked her lips, but didn't dare move. Hopefully, the campers would forget some, as they had with the meat cylinder earlier. Another drip landed on her head, and she scowled. It was cold, it was about to rain, and the campers didn't seem to notice. She wished they would leave. She watched as the white-haired girl got up, walked to the blonde, then to the scared girl. The tall redhead passed them, going to the car. She gasped quietly as the redhead returned to the pair with a gray sweatshirt.

_More _clothes? Humans had so many things...

After what felt like another hour, and another dozen drips on her head, the humans had finally packed everything into the car, and she watched them douse the fire before climbing in themselves. The car creaked across the gravel, loud music playing from the open windows. She sighed in relief and lowered herself to the branch below, her nails scraping against the wood. She dropped to the forest's floor with a grunt, and inched cautiously up to the campsite. She circled it once, until she was finally certain that there weren't any traps or secrets left by the campers, then approached the ring of logs. She frowned disappointedly when there wasn't another sweatshirt, or a book, or some of whatever had emitted that brown aroma.

"That's okay." she said to herself, her shoulders finally relaxing. She already had a new sweatshirt. Her ear twitched and her head turned, the rumble of distant thunder washing over the forests. "Time to go home." She glanced around the campsite once more before setting off towards her den, her gait light and calm as her feet sank into the moist dirt.

She could hear the patter-patter of the beginning rain against the leaves as she crossed the old, forgotten footbridge that spanned the empty, overgrown stream bed near her home, the rotten wood creaking as it took her weight. A tall hill made of slate-gray rocks jutted out of the earth in front of her, cloaked and speckled with lichen. Her breath was misting in front of her face in the cool wet air as she pulled aside the drape of moss that served as a door, dipping her head below the low-hanging rock and sighing contentedly as she entered her den.

The floor was covered in soft needles and scraps of cloth that had been left by hikers or campers. The roof was a single solid stone, mud and dirt packed into the few cracks that had appeared over the years. It wasn't warm, but it was waterproof, except in the absolute worst storms. She had taken over the cave with His help, forcing out the old wounded bear that had once slept where she now did. The claw marks were still visible on the walls, despite her efforts to cover them with books and cloth. Her favorite books were stacked in a corner, forming a half-wall of their own. She wished she had another to add to the collection. She tossed a couple out of the way as she retrieved a dirty, smeared bowl, setting it just outside her 'door' to catch rainwater.

She shivered as she knelt on the old, ripped blanket that she used for a bed, a table, a napkin, and a towel. He had stolen it for her, breaking into a tent while the campers were gone. She reached over and picked up her new red sweatshirt, putting her arms through the sleeves and zipping it closed. She hummed while pulling the hood over her ears, lying down and curling into a ball, her back to the door. The sweatshirt was warm.

Another burst of thunder boomed, and the rain fell harder, making loud wet splashes against the ground. "Thank you..." she whispered to the red-haired girl she had scared last night, just before she drifted off into a deep, restful snooze.

* * *

The windows had been rolled up after the fat raindrops started splashing onto the windshield, but the rock music still blared through the speakers, filling in the silence that occupied the car. Yang matched the beat with her fingers, tapping them against the steering wheel as she drove. Pyrrha was reading a book she had pulled from her bag, absently turning a page and tracing her eyes over the words. Nora was strangely quiet, gazing out the front window with her mouth open, watching the rain get brushed away by the wipers. Ruby's eyes were blank as she stared out her window, her arms cradled to her chest. Weiss was typing on her laptop's keyboard, her fingers flying across the keys, halfway through the second body paragraph of her final essay. Her noise-canceling earbuds were doing their job, completely blocking the rock music with slow, melodic piano compositions.

"Lucky we left when we did, huh?" Yang asked her passengers, trying to bring some conversation to the dour car. "Would have been quite a surprise, waking up to this..." She glanced at Weiss through the rear-view mirror, her forced smile dwindling as she was ignored by the white-haired girl. "It was fun, right guys?" she asked, quickly turning her head to gauge her friends' reactions.

"Hell yeah!" Nora piped. "We had s'mores, and told stories! It was awesome!"

"Yeah!" Yang said, her grin returning. She checked on Weiss again, and her rising spirits fell as the girl's face was still neutral, her eyes locked to the computer screen. "We'll drop you off first, Weiss." She was answered by a long bout of typing, and she rested her cheek on her fist, driving one-handed through the rain.

They arrived at Weiss' house with little interruption and even less conversation, the only stop being at a gas station to refuel and to let Nora run to the bathroom. "Can you open the trunk, please?" Weiss asked Yang, closing her laptop and pulling out her earbuds. She opened her door and hunched over her computer as she walked to the back of the car, heaving out her bags and backpack. She put the computer in the backpack and zipped it closed, shouldering it and preparing to leave. She took half a step then paused. "Thanks for the ride, Yang."

"Sure thing, Ice Queen!" Yang called backwards through the car, turning in her seat and smiling. "I'll give you a ride anytime!" Pyrrha snorted in the passenger seat. Yang glared and whacked her on the shoulder. "See you at school tomorrow!"

"Yes, I can't wait." Weiss mumbled, shutting the trunk and hurrying onto her porch as the rain fell against her shoulders.

Yang waited until Weiss had disappeared through the white double doors before shifting into reverse and starting to drive away. "Good grief, Yang, why didn't you just say 'I'll _ride you_ anytime'?" Pyrrha said, struggling to hold in her laughter with a hand to her mouth. "You were halfway there already!"

"Shut up, Pyrrha." Yang grumbled, her fingers wrapping tight around the steering wheel. "It wasn't... it didn't come out how I wanted it to, okay?"

"No, I'm serious!" Pyrrha said, sounding the opposite. She sighed and settled her giggles, blinking back tears. "And when is it going to '_come out_', hmm? Weren't you going to show her you were interested?"

Yang gnawed her bottom lip, her eyes wandering the road. "I... yeah? But it didn't feel right, you know? Like... I don't think she had fun! It didn't seem like the right time." They came to a stop sign, and Yang leaned her head back against her seat. "Like, what am I even doing? I'm not blind, I can tell she doesn't even _remotely_ like me! But I just... it's like... I can't... I can't stop, you know?"

"Mm-hmm." Pyrrha sighed, leaning her head against the window and watching the rain fall. "Yeah, I know."

"There's something _about _her... and..." Yang's mouth twisted as she struggled for the right words. She couldn't find them, breathing out in a long groan. "She looks at me, and I smile. Even if she's glaring, it makes me happy. She talks to me, and my heart flies. I... I just... I want her to be happy, _because _of me. ARGH!" She growled and punched the instrument panel. "But all I do is piss her off!"

"Why don't you just tell her all that?"

"Uh, hello? Tell that to the Ice Queen? She'll tell me to fuck off then prance away with that stupid, gorgeous ponytail bouncing behind her."

"Well, it's that or you keep doing what you're doing. And it seems to be working out _great_."

"Whatever." Yang sighed, shifting into park and opening the trunk. "We're here."

"Okay." Pyrrha climbed out of the car and rushed to the back, gathering her bags. "Hey Yang? Don't worry too much about it. It was fun, I'm sure she enjoyed herself." She pushed the trunk closed and then jogged to her door. "Thanks for the ride!" she called back, waving as Yang pulled onto the street.

The drive to Nora's house was quiet, Yang lost in her thoughts while Nora was oddly lulled by the falling rain. Ruby remained, by visual examination, comatose in the back seat, her eyes tiredly watching the drips of water as they flowed across the window. When they arrived, Nora bounced out, jabbering out several 'thank you's for a hundred different reasons. Curiously, she ran to the house next door, her arm whipping side to side as she waved goodbye when Yang and Ruby drove away.

Ruby had switched to the passenger seat now that it was just the two of them, and quietly plucked at the edges of her borrowed sweater. The silence was heavy, an overwhelming presence of agitation stifling any desire to talk. Ruby glanced over at her sister, the blonde's jaw clenched and knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel. They were leaned forward as the car slowed to a halt at a red light, the rain clattering on the car's roof. Ruby breathed deep, summoning her courage. Yang was in a bad mood, and is wasn't always a good idea to try and talk to her when she was like this. "Ya-"

"What the _fuck_, Ruby?!" Yang screamed, smashing her hands against the steering wheel. "Why the _fuck _did you feel like embarrassing me?"

"Wha-"

"Forgetting the fucking tents, screaming about 'the monster'! It doesn't exist, Ruby! It's a joke, a story, a legend!" Yang growled and shifted angrily in her seat. "She thinks I put you up to it, to try and scare her! She must think I'm a goddamn idiot!" She glared at her sister, her face red with anger. "What the fuck is your problem? This was my chance, my one goddamn chance, and you fucking _ruined_ it! You ruin everything!" Yang sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her voice was low and regretful as she said, "I knew I shouldn't have brought you. I knew you'd embarrass me. God damn it."

"Ya-"

"_What?!_ What?!"

Ruby had shrunk into the back of her chair, her arms clutched under her chin and her eyes flicking between the ground and Yang. "The light's green." she murmured, pointing.

"Hmph." Yang slammed on the gas pedal, the tires spinning on the wet road before finding their grip, and the car hurtled through the intersection.

The car screeched to a stop in their driveway, Yang snatching the keys out of the steering column and stomping onto the porch. Her father was sitting in a chair reading, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, his glasses pulled to the edge of his nose. "I was wondering when you'd come back for those..." he said with nonchalance, pointing a toe at the two green tent bags that lay side by side on the stairs. He closed the book and set his glasses on his collar. "Did you have fun?"

"Shut up, Dad!" Yang spat as she stormed past, thundering up to her room.

"Hmm." He hummed, listening as Yang slammed her door closed. "Probably not then, I'd guess." He turned his head to look at his younger daughter as she slowly climbed the steps, her eyes downcast and her hands in her pockets. "Hey there, Ruby. Where's your sweatshirt?" he asked, frowning at the unfamiliar sweater.

"I lost it..." Ruby said quietly as she lowered herself into the open chair to her father's right.

After a moment, her father sighed. "Guy trouble?" he asked, jerking a thumb towards the house.

"Dad, you know she's into girls..."

"Yeah, I know. But it's easier to kick a guy's ass than a girl's..." He linked his fingers and leaned back in the chair. "Did she yell at you?"

Ruby sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Yeah..." she said, her voice wobbly with sobs.

"She has her mother's temper..." Her father reached over and held her hand, squeezing it gently. "Ruby, it's not your fault. She's not really mad at you. She's mad at herself, she just doesn't want to _blame_ herself, so she's lashing out. It doesn't mean anything. Okay?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"So, did you have fun?"

"Um... no, not really."

"No? Why? What happened?"

"I saw a mon-... I had a really bad nightmare, and embarrassed Yang."

Her father breathed a heavy sigh, leaning back and rubbing at his eyes. "Okay. Well, I'll talk to her about it." He stood, groaning as he stretched. "There's leftover meatloaf in the fridge if you're hungry, and we can have whatever you want for dinner. Sound good?"

Ruby smiled, her tears gone. "Yeah..."

"Good." He turned and started walking inside. "Ruby? I'm glad you went, even if you didn't have fun. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad." He disappeared into the house, and she pulled her knees up to her chin and just sat, enjoying the warmth of the sweatshirt. "I just had a nightmare. It wasn't real. It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real." she whispered, closing her eyes and listening to the falling rain.

* * *

Weiss dropped her bag on her bed, laying her backpack next to it and extracting her laptop. Putting the computer on her desk, she turned back to her bag and started unpacking. She rolled her eyes, annoyed with herself that she had so obviously over-packed. "Three pairs of pants? Did I think I was going to stay the week? And emergency makeup? Who was I trying to impress, the trees?" she scoffed, tossing a handful of clothes into her hamper. There was a knock on her door, and her displeased scowl turned to face her mother. "Hi Mom."

"Hey honey!" her mother said, stepping into the room and looking over her shoulder. "Did you have fun? Did you finish those essays you were complaining about?"

"Ugh, yes, and they took forever!" Weiss groaned, tossing a shirt at her hamper. "It didn't help that _she _kept bugging me!"

"That girl? What was her name?"

"Yang! Well, in this case I mean _Nora_, her friend, but Yang was also annoying! Grrr!" Weiss slowly clenched her fingers into fists. "She wouldn't leave me alone! 'Weiss, want to do this?' or 'Weiss let me show you something!'. She's so irritating!"

Her mother giggled and sat on the bed. "Ha ha! That almost sounds like me when I was trying to get your father's attention." She sighed and looked at the ceiling. "He was always so gruff and moody, but I could see a nice, hardworking person buried underneath all that... attitude."

"Did you blackmail him into going _camping _with you also? And then forget the _tents_?!"

"She didn't! And no, I didn't do anything like that, but I did make it _very _clear I was interested." She waggled her eyebrows at her daughter, smirking.

"Gross, Mom!" Weiss stuck out her tongue and shivered in disgust.

"Ha ha, you're too easy, Weiss." Her mother pushed herself off the bed and made for the door. "Well, good for you for going, even if you were blackmailed. I'm proud of you, it's about time you made a new friend!"

"Yang Xiao Long is the last person I want as a friend! She's always touching me, and smiling at me, and bright and happy and cheerful and everything I'm _not_!"

"Huh..." Her mother tapped a questioning finger on her lips, looking off to the side. "It almost sounds like she likes you..." she said, vanishing down the hallway before Weiss could retort.

Weiss stood silently in her room, her mouth hanging open and a pair of underwear clutched in her hand. Yang couldn't like her, right? That wasn't... that didn't... no way she... "Hmph." Weiss snorted, sitting at her desk and crossing her arms after dropping the underwear into the hamper. She opened her laptop, the bright screen lighting up her face. "No... she couldn't." Weiss mumbled, chewing on her lip as she read over her last essay. "She was talking about some boy she had a crush on..." She shook her head, pushing the subject to the back of her mind and focused on her essay.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Oh, the drama of teenage love. I feel like my secret preference for White Rose leaked through in the early bit. Sorry about that. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Remember at the end of chapter one, where I said that this story will be about 3-5 chapters long? Yeah, probably not anymore. Closer to 10.

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	5. Decisions

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this chapter took what feels like longer than usual. I was distracted by work, writer's block, and fixing my motorcycle WHICH NOW RUNS AND I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT.**  
**

* * *

Yang let the alarm squawk longer than usual, several obnoxious chimes blaring into her ear as she reluctantly pushed herself upward, hooking her legs over the side of the bed and yawning. She groaned as she peered out the window; the morning looked as bleak and gray as she felt, rain and clouded skies darkening what should have been a pleasant April sunrise. She shambled out of her room and toward the stairs, knocking on Ruby's door as she passed. She heard a muffled groan as she descended, indicating her sister was now unwillingly awake.

Today probably wasn't going to be a good day. Mondays were never her best days. She could already feel it. The air was cold and damp, her legs were sore from hiking in the woods, and she was pretty sure she 'forgot' to do the history homework that was due today.

A note taped to a twenty dollar bill greeted her as she sat down for her boring breakfast of cereal and coffee, her weary eyes wandering across her father's indecipherable handwriting.

_Girls-  
I've got a big business meeting in Patch. I'll be gone until Wednesday night. Pizza is on me. Have fun and behave yourselves!  
Love, Dad_

"Mm-kay." Yang mumbled as she slurped milk off her spoon. It wasn't as though their father being gone presented an abundance of otherwise impossible opportunities; he never objected to her inviting friends over on a whim, nor did he mind if she spent the night at a friend's home. Nonetheless, it raised her spirits a little. Pizza two nights in a row was far better than whatever her father had had planned for dinner.

The sound of socks shuffling across the floor preceded her sister's entrance, Ruby grabbing the cereal box and sitting across from Yang. "Morning, Yang."

"Hey Ruby." Yang dropped her spoon in her now-empty bowl, taking a sip of coffee and sighing. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Ruby... I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. It wasn't your fault that I fu-... messed up with Weiss."

"Mish hokay." Ruby mumbled around a mouthful of Cheerios. The room was quiet as she took two more bites and Yang finished her coffee. "Did Dad make you apologize?"

"Yeah. He came to talk to me after we got home." Yang gathered her dishes and carried them to the kitchen, rinsing them out. "But he was right..." she said, speaking loudly to be heard over the faucet. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. So, I'm sorry."

"You said that already." Ruby said, joining Yang by the sink and waiting while the blonde finished cleaning her cup. "Don't worry about it, you were mad."

Yang flicked her hands dry and wiped them on her pajamas. "I'll make it up to you! Pizza is on me tonight!" she said with a big smile.

"Yang..." Ruby rolled her eyes at her sister, stepping to the sink and washing her bowl. "I saw the note. I know Dad's buying us pizza..."

"Dang! Well, I'll think of something. Anyway, I'm gonna go shower." She skipped away, leaving her sister in the kitchen and climbing the steps two at a time. She brushed her teeth while she waited for the water to heat up, her mind running over the previous day.

Maybe Pyrrha was right; maybe she should just grab Weiss, pull her into a corner and confess. Confess everything. That would get her attention, surely. She rolled her eyes at her reflection and spat, rinsing her mouth out with water and stepping into the shower. As if the Ice Queen would let herself get dragged anywhere, especially by Yang.

The air in the room was cold against her skin as she dressed, pulling shirts, pants, and a couple sweaters out of her drawers and laying them out on her bed. "Now, which would Weiss prefer?" Yang said to herself, standing in her underwear with her hands on her hips. Weiss was always wearing white and blue, but those colors clashed _horribly _with Yang's eyes and hair. Maybe something flashy, to get her attention? She probably wouldn't notice. Perhaps something reserved, to show off how mature she was? She probably wouldn't notice. She probably didn't pay a single bit of attention to anything Yang did. "Argh!" Yang growled, tossing another shirt back into her dresser. She settled on a banana-yellow sweatshirt and purple jeans, tying a double knot on a pair of black boots that she didn't mind getting wet. She sat on the couch and started on her history homework while she waited for Ruby to shower and get dressed. The younger girl always seemed to take forever, as though it was impossible for her to get clean enough.

…

The sisters hopped out of the rain and into the protection of the school's roof, wiping their shoes and collapsing their umbrellas. After a quick hug, they split up to go to their respective hangouts before classes started, their boots squeaking as they walked. Yang met up with Nora and Pyrrha on the third floor, lowering herself onto the bench and pulling out her sloppily half-started homework. "Hey guys! What's up?"

Nora's head whipped around, a gigantic grin plastered onto her face. "OhmygodYangyouhavetohearthis! Tell her Pyrrha!" She grabbed Yang by the front of her shirt and dragged her over, Yang's pen and papers flying to the floor.

"Nora! Geez! What the hell-" The sight of Pyrrha's face shut her up. The redheaded girl looked like she was glowing; her eyes had a captivating sparkle as though she were at peace with the world, the edges of her mouth were gently twisted upward in a demure, alluring smile as though she knew something you didn't, and a soft, slight blush put color in her cheeks, more beautifying than any amount of makeup. "What happened to _you_, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha barely turned her head, peeking a teasing emerald eye at her blonde friend as her smirk grew wider. "Jaune asked me out." she said, her blush deepening as Yang's jaw dropped.

"_What?!_" Yang gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "No _way_! Ohmygosh yay!" She pulled herself off the floor, where Nora had dropped her, and sat beside Pyrrha, leaning in close. "So... how'd you get him to do it, huh?" she whispered.

Pyrrha shrugged. "I just told him the truth. It was after track practice on Friday, we were packing up together, and I just told him how much I'd like it if he took me to a movie or something." She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. "He looked confused at first, it was so cute. And then it hit him, and-"

"Did _you _hit him? Like, with your lips?"

Pyrrha tilted her head jokingly, slapping Yang on the shoulder. "No! It hit him that I was saying I wanted to go out with him, and then last night he called me and asked if I wanted to see that new Spruce Willis film."

"But you _hate_ Spruce Willis..."

"Well, yeah, but it's a start. Maybe he'll take me to dinner next time..."

The bell rang before the conversation could continue, signaling the students to make their way to class. Nora and Pyrrha waved goodbye to Yang as she scrambled to pick up all her papers. "Damn it Nora..." She hooked her bag over her shoulder and started toward her first class, thinking about what Pyrrha had said. Maybe she was right. Maybe she _should_ just tell Weiss how she felt. It worked for Pyrrha! And she _had_ said she'd listen to her advice when she got Jaune to ask her out...

Maybe it could work with the Ice Queen?

* * *

She was very unhappy to discover that it was still raining. She groaned and pulled the hood of the sweatshirt tighter over face, rolling over so her back faced the outside world. She didn't like rain. It made hunting more difficult by overpowering the sounds and smells of her prey, and it was just so... wet. "_Blech_."

Her stomach rumbled, and with a heavy sigh she pushed herself to her feet and walked to the entrance of her home. The bowl she had set out was filled to the brim with water, the crystal clear fluid spilling out and splashing on the ground as she lifted the bowl to her mouth to drink. The water was cool and refreshing, and she licked her lips as she set the dish back on the ground. She washed herself, scooping her hands through the water and throwing it onto her face. She dried off with the front of the sweater and prepared to go hunting.

She pulled aside the curtain of moss and glowered into the gloomy gray forest. Waves of small, barely visible raindrops flowed between the damp trunks of the evergreens and budding deciduous trees, creating ripples in the numerous shallow puddles that pockmarked the forest floor. With a sigh, she pulled the hood over her ears and rolled down the sweater's sleeves, stepping out of her den and into the rain.

Her feet, covered in mud, splashed through puddles and snapped small fragile twigs as she stalked through the woodland, her eyes scanning branches and bushes for unaware critters that would make a suitable breakfast. She could usually catch a pair of squirrels or a rabbit if she was lucky, but all the small creatures seemed to be as hesitant as she was about venturing into the rain; the only sound that could be heard over the rain was the chirping of small birds that wouldn't satisfy her stomach for more than an hour. They dipped and dove around her, hunting for worms in the moist soil.

Movement caught her eye, and she immediately crouched down, her eyes dilating and her ears pointing straight ahead, listening for her prey's motions. It was a large brown rabbit, sniffling around a patch of wet wild onions. Her body tensed, all her movements slow and methodical as she positioned herself without alerting her target. The rabbit took a hop forward, digging into the dirt with its back to her. A fatal mistake.

She burst forward with hungry speed, leaves and water droplets flying through the air as she charged toward the bunny. It turned its head at the noise, but it was already too late. It managed two hops toward its burrow before she snagged it by the ears, lifting it into the air and smashing it against the wide trunk of an old maple tree. Stunned and helpless, the rabbit felt nothing as she snapped its neck, its frantic heartbeat stopping instantly. She deposited her breakfast in the pocket of her sweatshirt, walking the short distance back to the wild onions and grabbing a handful before making her way back to her den. She had been lucky today.

…

She absently picked chunks of fur out of her teeth while her eyes excitedly read over the ending to one of her favorite books. She sighed contentedly, closing the book and leaning back on her makeshift chair made of piles of rags. As she always did, she peeked at the back of the book, reading over the few critic's reviews that were still legible on the cracked and ripped cover. Scanning over the words, she once again glanced at the stamp that occupied the bottom left corner.

_Property of Beacon High School Library_

Resting her head on her fist, she sighed and tossed the book back onto the pile in the corner. She wished she could visit a library. She desperately wanted to see the giant piles of books that must exist in a library; some must have stacks that reached the ceiling! Just for a little bit. Just a peek. Just long enough to see the books. Just one look.

He had said that he'd been to a library once, and that the books were organized onto shelves by the people who worked there, the _librarians_. She thought that librarians must be the happiest people in the world, getting to spend their whole day in a library. She had asked if he could take her to the library, take her to see the books. His smile had fallen, and he shook his head. "You shouldn't go near the humans..." she mumbled to herself, imitating his voice as she recalled the moment. She huffed, pulling her knees to her chin and wrapping her arms around them. "I want to see a library..."

She frowned into her elbow, the gentle scent of strawberries drifting from the sweatshirt and into her nostrils. She breathed deep, enjoying the fruity smell. All her other clothes smelled like mold or dirt, some like blood, some like sweat, but this smelled like strawberries. This sweatshirt was the greatest piece of clothing she'd ever had. If she ever met the girl again, she'd have to thank her. And apologize. Apologize for scaring the Strawberry Girl, and for stealing the sweatshirt. Maybe the Strawberry Girl would take her to a library?

"Grr!" She beat her fist against her knee. "I want to see a library!" But he had told her to stay away from humans. That humans were scared of her. That she should stay in the forest. That she should stay away from the libraries. And he had been right, about many things. But now she had a sweatshirt. Now she could hide her ears, hide her face, hide her _strangeness_ from the humans. She stood, determination in her eyes. "I'm going to see the library!" she said to herself. He would have told her not to. He would have told her to stay hidden. But he wasn't here! He couldn't stop her! She had a sweatshirt!

She stomped out of the cave, ignoring the raindrops that plopped on her head and marching into the forest. The wooden footbridge groaned as she crossed, the faded and worn-down planks bending toward the thin, bubbling stream of water that the rain had created in the shallow ravine below. Excitement made her shake, her heart beating fast as she walked purposefully through the woods. She was going to the library, and nothing would stop her!

* * *

The final bell rang throughout the halls of Beacon High School, a tsunami of students flowing out of their classrooms and flooding towards buses and parking lots. Weiss quietly packed up her books and stored them in her backpack, hefting the bag onto her shoulder and stepping into the crammed hallways. The other students gave her a wide berth, despite the unusual smile that had taken the place of her typical glare. Weiss Schnee was smiling, an event so rare that it could only mean something horrible was about to happen.

She was happy because, after an exhausting and mentally trying weekend, her slaved-over essays had finally been turned in. Yang Xiao Long had not prevented her from completing her work; Weiss Schnee had triumphed over the forces of annoying. So she let her smile shine, she let it intimidate her fellow students; very little could bring down her mood today, because today she was victorious.

The tide of students dwindled as she walked slowly through the halls, no pressing assignment requiring her to rush home, and soon she found herself nearly alone. Just the way she liked it. No one talking to her, no one touching her, or blackmailing her, or calling her 'Ice Queen'. It was quiet, it was peaceful, it was blonde-free.

"...cking nerd!" Weiss heard as she turned the corner, greeted by the sight of Ruby, wearing her too-large borrowed sweatshirt, and two older students standing over her, blocking the small girl against the wall. "You think you're so smart, jumping two years ahead? You little pipsqueak!" the guy said, shoving Ruby's shoulder so she was pushed into the wall. He had gray hair and a popped collar, and his voice sounded lazy and obnoxious.

"Ow..." Ruby mumbled, rubbing her shoulder and keeping her eyes on the ground.

"God damn, you're a fucking wimp." the older girl said, chuckling at Ruby's pain. She had long green hair and tight white pants. "You shouldn't be here, you belong with the retards your own age. Why do you even come to school? You're not smart, you're not pretty, you wear the same ugly clothes everyday... Nobody even likes you!"

Weiss' jaw dropped, and her hands clenched into fists by her side. Her smile disappeared, transforming back into her perpetual glare. "HEY!" she yelled at the bullying pair, shaking with rage as she stomped over to them. She placed herself between the older students and Ruby, her hands on her hips. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Ooh, look out Emerald. Seems like the squirt has a bitch to back her up." the guy said, hyperbolically throwing his arm in front of his partner.

"Ha! Better run along princess, wouldn't want to ruin your shoes. Go on, run back to Daddy and all his money." Emerald said, leaning over so her head was in front of Weiss' nose.

Weiss turned her head to glare at Emerald, then at her partner. "Hmph." she sniffed, crossing her arms. "Alright, listen up Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dipshit," she said, glancing at each in turn, "You're going to turn around and walk away, and never bother Ruby again. Or else."

Emerald craned her head back and laughed. "Or what, princess? You're gonna tell on me? You're gonna complain to your parents that some big kids were mean to you?" She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. "You've got nothing. We could beat the shit out of you and no one would know or care."

Weiss assumed a sickened expression and coughed, waving her hand in front of her face. "Ugh..!" she groaned. Emerald leaned back, her brows furrowing. Her friend looked confused. "Sorry," Weiss said, wiping at her nose, "petty and false threats stink. You two idiots couldn't hurt us if you tried. I'm honestly surprised you monumental dumbasses manage to dress yourselves. Actually," she pointed at the boy, "he must no, because that outfit is hideous. And you..." She looked Emerald up and down, huffing with amused disapproval. "You have the fashion sense of a four-year-old playing dress up in a strip club."

"W-W-_What_?!" Emerald sputtered, her face going red.

"And, good lord, you're uglier than a toad put through a blender then reassembled with glue made of dog turds." Emerald's jaw dropped, her partner snorted, and Weiss heard a quiet giggle from behind her. She turned to the boy. "I wouldn't laugh, because you look like what her face shits out. And yet you still manage to be half as intelligent." She sighed, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, Ruby and I are needed elsewhere, so I think we'll leave you two to try and decide which one of you is the bigger fool." She reached back, feeling a small hand take hers, and started to walk away.

"Not so fast, you cunt." Weiss heard Emerald call. "Now I'm mad. I'm gonna cut you up into- OW!" Weiss turned her head at the girl's yelp of pain, her smile returning at the sight of a tall blonde woman holding the green-haired girl by the ear.

"I think I've heard enough out of you, miss Sustrai." Vice Principal Goodwitch said. "I think you, mister Black, and I need to have a long chat in my office about etiquette and the school's absolutely _zero_ tolerance bullying policy. Let's walk down there together, shall we?" She glanced at Weiss and Ruby, dismissing them with a brief nod before the trio walked away, Goodwitch in the lead and dragging the pair of bullies by their ears.

"Come on, Ruby." Weiss said, resuming her way to the stairs and pulling on Ruby's hand. They descended quickly, their footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell, emerging onto the ground floor and starting toward the school's front entrance. "I can't believe those two! How dare they pick on you! Assholes. Degenerates! Scum!" Weiss ranted, her ponytail swinging side to side as she continued to pull Ruby along.

"Weiss... you can let go now..." Ruby murmured, her feet dragging as she struggled to keep up with the storming girl.

Weiss halted on the spot, releasing Ruby's hand and turning to grab the younger student by the shoulders. "Don't listen to them Ruby. You _are_ smart. You _are _pretty. And I-" Tolerate? Oh, just say it. No one is around to hear it anyway. "...like you. But, damn it, you need to stick up for yourself! Don't let people keep putting you down! Fight back! Grr!" She removed her hands from Ruby's arms, crossing them over her chest. "People like them piss me off."

Ruby sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Thanks Weiss. For stepping in, and everything."

"Hmph. Surely anyone would have done the same. I was just closest."

"No, I think it's 'cause you're nice, you just don't want to admit it."

Weiss tried to maintain her stern, frosty composure, but Ruby's thin, grateful smile made her sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose, "We've been over this before, I'm not actually nice."

"Yes you are."

"Uh, well, I guess... maybe... ugh." Weiss groaned, dragging her hand across her face. "Fine! But under no circumstances is Yang to know! If she found out, she'd tease me relentlessly!"

"Tease you for being nice?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! It's her purpose for existing! She's constantly searching for ways to annoy me!" Weiss crossed her arms again, digging the toe of her shoe against the scuffed tile floor. Her mother's words from the night before crept unbidden into her mind, repeating themselves over and over. 'Almost sounds like she likes you...' "Ruby, I have a very serious question to ask you." Weiss said, making sure she had Ruby's attention. "Does..." She gulped. She couldn't believe she was even thinking about this. It was impossible! "Does Yang li-"

"Does Yang what?" a cheerful, sunny voice called from down the hall. Weiss cringed, assuming an annoyed scowl as Yang approached the pair, plopping herself next to her sister and smacking Weiss on the arm. "Hey there, Ice Queen! What are you two talking about?" she beamed at the white-haired girl, who only scoffed in response.

"Nothing, just asking Ruby if she found her red sweatshirt. I have to go home now, goodbye." Weiss twisted on her heel with a loud '_squeak_', holding the straps of her backpack as she clomped away.

"Aww." Yang's expression fell, but then she brightened again and took two steps towards Weiss. "Hey! Why don't you come over? We're having pizza!"

"Nope. Sorry. Can't. Very busy!" Weiss said quickly without turning around, increasing her pace.

"But..!" Yang reached out, but sighed and let her hand fall back to her side as she watched the bobbing ponytail shrink as Weiss grew further and further away. "Damn." She turned back to her sister, who was quietly grinning at her. "What?" she asked, her own grin picking at the corners of her mouth.

Ruby giggled, hooking her thumbs through her backpack's straps and swaying with pretend innocence. "Nothing..." she sang, rolling her eyes.

Yang walked over, punching her lightly on the shoulder. "What? Come on, tell me!"

Ruby laughed and started walking away. "Nope!" she said, emphasizing the 'p'. "I promised not to tell!"

"Argh! Ruby! Tell me right now!" Yang shouted, chasing after her sister as the younger girl began to run. "Tell meeeee!"

…

Weiss arrived home at 4:33, rainwater dripping from her umbrella as she set it by the door to dry. "I'm home!" she called, closing the door behind her and making her way to the kitchen.

"Hi dear!" her mother called from behind the refrigerator's door. Her head popped into view as she straightened, holding a bowl of leftovers. "How was school? Did that Yang girl bother you again?"

"No, but her sister was being bullied by some idiotic older students."

"Oh no! What happened?"

"Nothing really, I stepped in and told them off."

"Really? You helped someone? _You_?" She peered at her daughter, eyes narrowed. "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and huffed. "Ugh, Mom!"

"I'm just teasing you, dear! I'm proud of you for standing up for someone." She leaned back into the refrigerator. "Anything else interesting?"

"Not really. Yang invited me over for pizza, but I left and came home instead."

"Weiss Schnee." Her mother said, her hands on her hips and a disapproving look on her face. "Why in the world did you turn down that invitation? She's just trying to be friendly! What could be the harm?"

Weiss groaned. "It's Yang Xiao Long!" she said, throwing her arms in the air. "She's the most annoying person I know! I don't want to have _pizza_ with her!"

"Honey," her mother said, lowering her voice, "you said the same thing about camping, but you had fun in the end, right? The next time you get an invitation like that, you _go_!"

"But-!"

"No 'buts' young lady! This Yang girl is only trying to be nice, but you are being very, _very _rude to her. If you don't accept her next invitation, I'm going to call her up and invite her over _here_."

Weiss gasped. "You wouldn't!"

Her mother snorted and narrowed her eyes in challenge. "Try me, dear."

"MOM!"

"I'm just looking out for you! You need friends!"

Weiss frowned and crossed her arms, angrily tapping her foot on the floor. "Last night you said that you think Yang likes me... Do you really think she does?"

Her mother sighed, setting down the bowl and walking over to Weiss. Taking her by the shoulders, she said, "Is that why you're trying to avoid her? Because you think she likes you?"

"I don't know! She's annoying! But after you said that last night... I don't know!"

Her mother hummed and hugged her tight, rubbing her back. "Oh, honey." She kissed the top of her head. "It isn't important whether or not Yang likes you, it's only important how you feel about her." She pulled away, stepping back to the fridge. "But I really will ask her over!"

"Mom! Ugh! I'm going upstairs!" Weiss stomped away, climbing up the stairs as her mother chuckled in the kitchen. Yang didn't like her, right? Why did she care, anyway?! It's not as if she liked Yang!

Right?

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Blah blah blah story and whatnot DID I TELL YOU MY MOTORCYCLE RUNS?

OhmygoshI'msohappyit'saDucatiMonsterandIhadtorebuilditbecausethepreviousownerdroppeditbutnowitrunsand I'M SO HAPPY. Sorry, it's kind of my favorite thing in the world right now.

Anyway, concerning the story: Sorry if this chapter seemed a little bland or not really up to the same standard the previous chapters have been. This chapter was really just boring set-up; I didn't know what to do for this part or how to connect the previous and next chapters.

This should change next chapter, because SO MANY THINGS HAPPEN.

Dear Brain, this is a Freezerburn story, so if you could stop trying to subconsciously change it into White Rose, that would be great. Thanks. (Sorry).

**Thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story! I love reading your feedback!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	6. Discoveries

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this one took so long. I wasn't feeling it and then got completely sidetracked with another project. And the stupid fucking bike broke, but I fixed it again! This chapter only has half of what I'd planned, but in typical 'me' fashion, I wrote more than expected so I'm saving the rest for next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

And yes, dear Guest, Blake has pants.

* * *

The rain, which had been falling nonstop for the last two days, wicked down from the needles of the pine tree that she was taking shelter in, falling with little '_plops_' onto the soft bed of browning needles she'd used as a bed the night before. Thunder rumbled quietly in the distance, and wind whispered through the forest, scattering raindrops in a multitude of directions, but her eyes and ears were locked to the flat black strip of tar and asphalt that planed through the woods. Water gushed along it's surface, tiny splashes bouncing upwards as the sky poured itself out onto the earth.

She'd been awoken by a calamitous amount of noise as a huge truck had barreled along the road, great waves of water being sprayed by its tires and further drenching the surrounding trees. She huddled deeper into the damp sweatshirt, which, after an entire day spent guarding her from the weather, was beginning to lose its warmth. But now she valued the ability to hide underneath its hood more than the extra layer between her and the wet. The highway scared her.

She had only been here once before, many years ago when she was much smaller. He had brought her here. "_This is the highway._" he had said, gesturing with his hand to the seemingly unending length of road. "_This is the edge of the woods. On the other side begins the humans' territory._" He had knelt beside her, gripping her tightly and looking directly into her eyes. His expression had made her nervous; he'd never been that intense before. "_Never, ever, go beyond the highway. It is very dangerous. The humans don't like us, they don't understand us and that makes us scary to them._"

"_What... what if I go over there by accident?_" she had asked, his tone scaring her. He had turned and pointed to a small object lying in the middle of the road. She had squinted, then gasped when she realized it was a squirrel, crushed and ripped to pieces. Dead. "_Humans do that to us?_"

"_If they catch you, they WILL hurt you._" The highway was a horror, a boundary created and patrolled by the humans to keep her out. Beyond this dark, flat barrier lay a utopia of clothes, books, and food, but the humans horded it to themselves.

She licked her lips, imagining the vast amounts of _things_ that existed in the humans' territory. All she had to do to obtain her own piece of paradise was to cross this road. And not get caught. She'd planned it all out as she'd walked here yesterday. She was a good thief, quiet and stealthy, not counting the Strawberry Girl, and could hide her treasures under her sweatshirt. The hood would hide her ears; she wouldn't speak so they couldn't see her fangs; she'd keep her hands in the pockets so they couldn't see her nails. She just had to cross the highway.

Breathing deep and clenching her jaw, she pushed her way through the low branches of her temporary shelter and back into the rain, stomping toward the terrifying, enormous slab of tar. She wouldn't let it stop her! It was just a road, what was it going to do? Sting her? She stopped, her toes inches from the edge of the highway. She hadn't thought of that. Maybe the highway could kill on contact, and if she touched it she'd drop dead. She took a step back. No, she was being silly. She shook her head, stepping forward, but then pausing again. "Better poke it with a stick, to be safe..." she reasoned with herself, crouching down and picking up a slippery fallen twig. She crept toward the road, the stick held out cautiously.

She pushed her anti-stinging twig against the asphalt, holding it there for several seconds to be sure. Nothing happened. She stood, tossing the stick away and laughing at herself. "Of course. It's just a road. It won't hurt me." She extended her foot over the pavement, closing her eyes and bracing herself as she gingerly lowered her toe to the ground. It was hard, and wet, but otherwise just a road. She sighed in relief, bringing her other foot onto the road. This was it. She was on the highway. The highway that he had told her never to cross and to avoid. She was in human territory.

Two bright lights appeared over the crest of a hill, speeding towards her through the rain. She turned and stared, frozen in fear, her ears flattening against her head.

A car! A human was coming! They'd see her on the highway; they'd know that she was trespassing into their domain!

THEY'D KILL HER!

Her heart raced as she swiveled her head in search of a solution. She should cross, and hide in the trees on the other side of the highway. She sprinted over, her long nails making scraping noises against the pavement as she ran. Only a few steps away from the potential safety of the treeline, she slid to a halt. What if they caught her on this side? The punishment would be far worse! She turned around, charging back across the street and hoping she still had time before the humans spotted her.

She could hear the noise of the engine and the clatter of the rain against the car's hood as she leaped off the highway and into the prickly 'comfort' of the pine tree she had slept under. She scrambled up the tree, her breath coming in quick gasps and her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Pressing herself tightly against the trunk, the sappy bark poking against her knees and fingers, she watched with wide eyes as the car slowly came to a stop where she had attempted to cross.

The car was white and black, with a bar of lights on top and the word 'POLICE' printed on the side. The driver-side door opened, and a tall man with black hair stepped out, pulling a hat over his head to protect himself from the rain. Her eyes were drawn to his belt, where his hands rested on the grip of a pistol and the handle of a thick metal flashlight.

He pulled the flashlight out of his belt, flicking it on and shining it around the edge of the forest. "Hello?" he called, speaking loudly over the rain. "Anyone there?" She squeezed harder into the trunk, holding her breath and silently praying for him to leave. After what felt like an eternity, the man grunted and returned to his car, driving off after a short moment.

She exhaled in a long sigh of relief, letting the tension and suspense leave her body with her breath. Carefully lowering herself out of the tree, she crept back to the edge of the highway, scanning both directions for any cars before stepping once again onto the pavement. Her feet splashed in the thin layer of water that coated the street as she crossed, kicking fat droplets onto her legs. Steeling her nerves, she placed her foot delicately on the muddy earth on the opposite side of the road, digging her toes into the soil "There." she said, bringing her other foot to join the first. She was now firmly on the humans' side of the world.

Would he be proud, or disappointed? She shook her head. It didn't matter; she was here now, and the library was close. She'd come this far, it would be a waste to turn back now.

With a '_Hmph!_' of determination, she pressed further into the humans' world as the rain pattered against the leaves above.

* * *

The cafeteria was filled with the endless babble of her fellow students, discussing any inane and meaningless drivel that crossed through their frivolous, hormone-driven brains. Based on the few fragments she couldn't help but overhear from the table behind hers, the topic of the day was the absolutely _unbelievable _party at Cassandra's house that got rained out. Meanwhile, Weiss stared in detached confusion at the greasy mess of 'food' that graced the styrofoam tray she'd picked up from the kitchen.

Her mother had woken up with a paralyzingly painful headache, unable to make her daughter's lunch, and the live-in chef had taken the week off for a vacation to Mistral with his family, forcing Weiss to _buy _her lunch from the school. She had encountered this... disaster of ingredients before; just last week Yang had been munching on something similar while blackmailing her into the camping trip. It was a... 'Sloppy Joe,' if her memory served. Poking it with a fork, she recoiled in disgust as bubbly, brownish grease pooled onto the tray, accompanied by the stench of overcooked, defrosted beef. "This is repulsive..." she mumbled quietly. However, it was what was being served for lunch, so she had the choice to eat it or go hungry for the rest of the day.

Hesitantly reaching down to grab her 'lunch,' loathe to actually _touch_ the putrid mass of leaking meat, she was distracted by the '_clomp_' and a subsequent '_thump_' of two people sitting across from her. "Good afternoon, Weiss!" Pyrrha's charming greeting drew her eyes upward.

"Howdy, princess!" Nora exclaimed, smiling her trademark too-large-to-be-humanly-possible grin. "Ooh!" she said, leaning over and staring intensely at Weiss' burger. "That looks good! I should've gotten _that_!"

"Pyrrha." Weiss nodded to the redhead. "Nora..." she growled, lowering her voice and frowning at the bouncing orange-haired girl. Turning back to the former, she asked, "Where's the blonde?"

A clacking noise as another chair was placed at the table signaled the arrival of a fourth member; Weiss rolled her eyes and turned her head, a discouraging snarl already half-formed on her lips. She was pleasantly surprised to see Ruby scooting her chair closer, the girl's silver eyes gazing hungrily at the ample helping of hamburger on Weiss' tray. "Wow, Weiss! What did you have to do to get a burger _that _big?" she asked, grinning at the white-haired older student.

Weiss opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Nora's booming voice. "She probably slept with a teacher! Ha ha ha!" The cafeteria grew a little quieter, and several faces glanced at their table, eyebrows raised.

Weiss' eyes flew open and her jaw dropped as her face turned bright red. "Wha- I- You-!"

"That's not funny." came a meek, quiet voice from Weiss' right. "I don't think that's funny, Nora." Ruby said, her head tilted down and her arms wrapped around her stomach. "That's not funny at all..."

Nora's grin disappeared, and she sank into her seat. "Oh. Okay. Sorry, Ruby." she said before picking at her mashed potatoes in slow, dejected jabs.

Flicking her eyes between the two, Weiss raised an eyebrow. She'd have to ask Ruby how she gets Nora to shut up like that; it would no doubt be useful in the future. "To answer your question, Ruby, I didn't do anything special... I just pointed and said 'This please.'" She brushed her hair over her shoulder and leaned in once again to pick up her burger.

"Careful when you're eating that..." Pyrrha warned as Weiss raised her meal in front of her face. "They tend to burst when you bite in." She mimed biting, putting her hands by her mouth.

"Ah, I see. Thanks, Pyrrha." She held the burger in one hand, leaning forward to grab a preparatory napkin out of the container in the center of the table.

"Oh, and Yang's here."

"Wha-?"

"Hey there, Ice Queen!" Yang's jubilant call sounded from right above her. The tall blonde slammed her hand on Weiss' back with a loud '_slap_', drawing her fingers across the girl's shoulders as she pulled up a chair to the left. "How's everybody doin' today?" she asked brightly, laying her tray on the tabletop and leaning back in her chair so the two front legs lifted off the ground. "So, Ice Queen, I've got a question for ya'. Something I've been wonderin-"

"Yang..." Pyrrha tapped her on the shoulder.

"Not now, Pyrrha. Something I've been wondering since the first day I met yo-"

"Yang..." Nora pointed at Weiss.

"Nora, I'm talking here. Since the first day I met you I've been wondering-"

"Uh, Yang?" Ruby said, flicking her eyes between the blonde and Weiss.

Yang sighed, rolling her eyes and dragging a hand across her mouth, giving her sister an unamused look. "Okay, fine. What is it yo-"

"YANG. XIAO. LONG." Weiss' voice grated through the air, seeming to suck away all the heat and happiness. "YOU. MONUMENTAL. FUCKING. BITCH!"

Even as her instincts screamed at her to run and hide, Yang slowly turned in her seat, her mouth clamping shut and her eyes widening in fear as her gaze was locked with terrified fascination to Weiss Schnee. The white-haired girl was slowly rising from her chair, her features twisted into an open-mouthed grimace of shock and fury. Steaming brown chunks of slimy hamburger meat oozed and slid down the front of Weiss shirt, the burger she had been holding slipping from her hand and splattering across her chest when Yang had slapped her on the back. Veins bulged in her neck and by her temples; her face glowing red with rage as she rotated glacially about her hips, her hands like angry claws held out in front of her and dripping with juice. "Uh... I... I-I'm..."

"You BITCH!" Weiss screamed, her entire body shaking with the force of her wrath. The words echoed around the now-silent cafeteria, every face staring with surprised curiosity at the pair of women. "_What_ is your problem?" she bellowed, throwing her arms downward and spraying the floor with grease. "_What_ is your fucking, god damn problem with me?!" She towered over Yang, the edges of her mouth twitching upward in an animalistic snarl. "You wanted to ask me something, didn't you?! It's about my _scar_, isn't it?!" she shouted, pointing at the thin red line that crossed her left eye. "Because fucking _everyone _wants to know about my fucking _scar_! Aaaauu-eurgh!" Her shaking hands clenched into fists, and she stormed away from the table, heading toward the cafeteria's exit. "Fuck you, Xiao Long!"

Frozen for a moment, Yang shook herself free and reached out after the fuming girl. "Weiss, wait! I-I... I wasn't going to... Where are you going?"

Twisting on her heel with a shrill '_squeak_', Weiss glared at the blonde. "I have to go _change_ now, thanks to you! Ugh!" She spun around and continued her frenzied march toward the door.

"But-!"

"Fuck _off_ Xiao Long! Leave me alone!" Weiss shrieked over her shoulder just before shoving the doors open with her elbow and disappearing down the hallway.

Yang was silent and still, her hand outstretched and her mouth hanging open as the rest of the cafeteria turned away and the room filled with whispered gossip. Dropping her arms to her sides, she hung her head and trudged back to the table, falling heavily into her chair with a loud, breathy groan. "Guys... I think I fucked up." she said, covering her face with both hands.

"Holy shit... you _think_?" Pyrrha gasped, giving the blonde an incredulous look. "What the hell were you going to ask her? And _why_ did you slap her on the back?"

Saddened purple eyes peeked out from underneath an elbow. "I was going to take your advice..." Yang sighed, putting her hands in her lap and rubbing her thumbs together. "I was going to ask her out. Oh fuck..." She leaned forward and held her head in her hands, shaking her head back and forth. "I totally fucked it up. I totally fucked it up. Now she's _super _pissed at me."

Ruby grunted a single chuckle, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, you did. But I have good news for yo-"

"Shut up, Ruby! I don't want to hear it right now..."

"I just want to tell you tha-"

"I said _shut up_!"

"But-"

"RUBY! Shut the fuck up! I don't want to hear it!" Yang leaned back again, releasing a long sigh. "God damn... What do I do now?"

…

The faces of the few students that walked along the halls turned at the sharp taps of her heels and her angry mutterings as she tore through the school toward the gym. The heads would turn, the eyes would dip inquisitively to the brown mess on her shirt, then flick up and widen before turning away. Weiss Schnee on a good day was not someone to approach, but really the worst that she'd do was give you a fierce, penetrating glare. Not many had yet to see Weiss Schnee on a _bad _day, but the scant amount of students who witnessed her furious stomp to the gym would be unable to erase the scarring memory for the rest of their high school careers.

A chill wash of air seemed to follow her down the hallway, at odds with the glowing red mask of incandescent rage that rested over her features. Her nostrils flared with every breath, her fists shaking by her sides as she briskly walked to the locker room, throwing the door open so hard it smashed against the wall with a resounding '_bang!_' that echoed into the gym. The two girls that were changing in the same row as her locker scattered as they saw her bobbing ponytail approaching, too afraid to even peek around the corner to spy on what had so upset the white-haired girl. She moved in calm, slow motions, delicately twisting in the combination to her lock, then ripping it open and slamming it so hard the metal dented.

Dragging out her gym clothes and throwing them onto the bench behind her, she started to undress, unzipping her light-blue jacket and stuffing it into the locker. "Fucking fuck fuck!" she spat into the shocked-silent air. "That fucking stupid fuck!" How foolish of her to believe that she could wear her _favorite_ white shirt to school, knowing that Yang Xiao Long would bother her at lunch. How naive of her to think for a _moment_ that Yang _liked _her. Ha! That brutish bitch had had her heart set on teasing Weiss since the first day they met. Her mother had been right; Yang was bullying her, and that made her the same type of sick, fetid _scum_ that had been preying on her sister yesterday. Harassing her in classes, tormenting her at lunch, _blackmailing _her into a camping trip just so she could bully her some more! And now she had embarrassed her in front of the entire cafeteria!

A growl slipped involuntarily from her mouth as she finished unbuttoning her ruined shirt and slipped it off her arms. And now Yang was going to ask her about her _scar_, the bright red mark that had been so 'popular' at her old school; the broken line of skin that had been so beloved by the bullies and the first thing _everyone _noticed about her. Every god damn conversation with someone always seemed to turn to the blemish that crossed her eye, and Yang was no different. She was just like _them_; she was just a bully. She'd just had the patience to wait until Weiss had been about to let her in, let her be trustworthy, before pulling out her trump card.

Brushing her hands along her shirt to straighten out the wrinkles, she harrumphed and slammed the locker closed just as the bell blared from the speakers overhead. "God damn it!" she groaned, punching the locker door and denting it further. The stupid blonde bitch was going to make her late, too. She pushed her way through the locker room door, striding angrily through the tide of students swarming back toward the lockers to change. They'd glance at her face then take two steps backwards, hoping to avoid the wrath of the Ice Queen. Emerging from the crowd, she ignored the whispers and spreading gossip as those who had seen her outburst in the cafeteria disseminated the scandalous event to their peers.

As she was about to turn back onto the main hallway, she heard her name muttered by a nasally, annoying voice and froze in place. "...id you see Weiss Schnee fuh-_reak_ the fuck out at lunch? Ohmygod, it was like the end of the world for her!"

"Ohmygosh, I _knoooow_!" a second, equally obnoxious and very similar voice replied. "Like, calm your tiny tits, bitch, it was just hamburger juice!"

"Ohmygod, I _knoooow_! And, honestly, it did her outfit a _favor_. That bitch doesn't know how to co-or-di-nate at _aaaall_!"

"Ohmygosh, yeah? You'd think with all that _money_ she's so proud of, she could afford something half decent. And, ohmygosh, who does she think she is, with that ri-_diculous_ ponytail?"

"Ohmygod, it's hideous! Bitch would probably look better bald!"

"Ohmygosh, yeah, probably! Maybe then that _scar_ she's so ashamed of wouldn't be the first thing people notice!"

Bubbling rage erupted through Weiss' veins, clouding her vision red. She doubted she'd ever been this mad before. Just as she was about to round the corner and put the two worthless, pimply _toads_ that had just insulted her into an early, but very much deserved, grave, an upset, guttural voice cut her off. "Oi! Cunts!" the voice, a girl's, barked. "You better shut the fuck up about Weiss Schnee before I come over there and punch that massive amount of makeup off your faces!

"Ohmygosh, what's it to _you_, Xiao Long? She's not your friend." Yang?

"Ohmygod yeah, no way, not after what you did. So why do you even care?"

"Because she _is_ my friend, you cracked-out whore! So you better stop insulting her!"

"Ohmygosh, do you, like, _like _her or something? Everyone thinks she's nasty."

"Everyone's fucking _wrong_. Weiss Schnee is the prettiest, smartest, and god damn cutest girl at this stupid school!"

"Ohmygod! You _do_-"

"So piss off you ugly, flabby cunts! Miltia, aren't you due for your weekly checkup at the STD clinic? And Melanie, don't you have an appointment at the abortion center or something?" Weiss heard two offended scoffs, and watched as two girls walked past her with their noses pointed to the ceiling. She knew of the Malachite twins, the two biggest rumor-spreading girls in the entire school. "And her ponytail is fucking _gorgeous_!" Yang shouted after them, turning the corner and stopping suddenly when she saw Weiss standing there. She looked like a deer in headlights, her eyes wide open and her eyebrows rising almost to her hairline. "Oh... umm... uh... hey Ice-... hey Weiss." she said, her mouth opening and closing several times as she struggled for words. "You... uh... you forgot your bag, and your umbrella..." Her arms jerked upward, holding Weiss' backpack and the wrapped-closed umbrella. Weiss silently took them out of her hands, slipping the bag over her shoulder and putting the umbrella's loop around her wrist. "I just thought that... uh... because you left... that uh... you'd need them..." Yang stammered, rubbing the back of her head and flashing a small, nervous grin. The second set of bells rang throughout the halls; Weiss and Yang were now late for class. "I guess I'll... I gotta go, heh." The grin grew more nervous as Yang started to back away, but Weiss was still staring at her, her mouth pinched tight. "Seeyoutomorrow!" Yang said in a rush, turning to leave but a hand grabbed her elbow, and she glanced back to see Weiss glaring at her. "Uh..?"

"We will talk about this after school." Weiss' face brooked no argument. "Meet me by the front doors." Then she twisted on her heel and started walking away, leaving Yang open-mouthed and surprised to still be alive.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** All credit for any improvement you noticed goes to my brand new _editor_, **MapleLeafLink**! Any deterioration of quality is also his fault, totally not mine.

I wasn't sure about how the Blake section felt, which is why it's so short, so any comment you have about that would be appreciated. At least there wasn't any strange White Rose seepage in this chapter.

Sorry about all the swearing this chapter; it borders on gratuitous, but felt accurate.

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	7. Reveals

**Disclaimer I: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Disclaimer II:** This chapter contains some adult material. Read at your own risk.

**Author's Notes: **This chapter contains the reason the story is rated 'M'. If you don't want to read it, after the second horizontal line skip down until you see the ellipsis.

Dear Guest, no, Blake does not have shoes. I'm beginning to think you are not reading her sections.

* * *

Rain beat an uneven tempo against the roof of Beacon High School as the final bell of the day rang out, a flood of students bursting from the doors like bees from a beehive, umbrellas spreading open like the many spring flowers that sprouted from the dirt. Yang pried herself from the yelling, chattering tide and walked to a relatively empty corner of the school's entrance, seeking shelter from the rain underneath a low overhang and waiting for the girl that was going to end her life.

The overhang created a private little room with walls made of pouring rainwater, the crackling patter of water on cement drowning out the noise of the rest of the world and giving her a sense of solitude despite the several groups of her peers that walked past, laughing about this or that and ignoring the pacing blonde. She anxiously wrung her hands as she walked from one waterfall to another, leaving wet, blurry footprints on the sun-aged concrete, searching through the thin sheets of water that fell from the jutting roof for that iconic bobbing pure-white ponytail that would signal her demise.

It was impossible, she thought, completely _impossible_ that she'd get out of this alive. The Ice Queen would swallow her whole and spit her out, then stomp away in a huff complaining of the taste. She had spilled hamburger juice on Weiss' _white _shirt. Yang smacked herself in the forehead as she looked back on the unfortunate events at lunch. That white shirt was familiar, Weiss wore it very often, meaning it was probably her favorite. The first time Yang had seen it was in mid-February, right before Weiss had put on a heavy blue overcoat that still managed to look slim. The shirt had gone perfectly with her shoes that day.

And then she'd so clumsily spilled greasy slop all over it, possibly ruining it forever. Her shoulders drooped and she shook her head, mentally berating herself for her stupidity. Even worse, when she'd chased her down to return her bag and umbrella, Weiss had overheard her 'confession.' Yang groaned and covered her face, glad she was alone. That was _not_ how she had planned it to happen. It didn't matter now, though. Weiss was going to kill her, and on her headstone it would read 'Yang Xiao Long; the dumbest, dopiest, clumsiest idiot who was murdered by the Ice Queen.'

The roiling thoughts in her head came to a dead stop as a blue umbrella slid through the cascade of water from above, the rain bouncing noisily off the waterproof fabric and flowing down its edges. Yang held her breath, her lips pulled in and her heart pounding in her chest as the umbrella lowered, revealing Weiss' alarmingly neutral face. The shorter girl calmly collapsed her umbrella, shaking it dry before leaning it against the wall and setting her backpack down beside it. Walking back slowly to join Yang under the outcrop, she crossed her arms, breathed in deep, and stared into the wide purple eyes, her own smoldering with displeasure.

_Thump! Thump! Thump! _beat Yang's heart against the edges of her chest as she was fixed with that penetrating gaze, biting her lip and nervously tapping her foot. Her nerves built and built and built until finally she decided she had to say _something _or else she'd explode. "Uh..." she started, putting on a wobbly smile and lifting her hand. "Hey there, Ice Qu-"

"My name," Weiss' voice hit her like a punch in the gut; authoritative, stern, and _cold_. "is Weiss."

Yang dropped her head, focusing on the toe of her shoe as she tried to dig a hole in the concrete. Embarrassed panic shivered down her back, and she rubbed the back of her head. "Right... sorry. Hey, Weiss." She received only a sniff in response, glancing up like a guilty puppy. "So... uhm... about... I-"

"Where's Ruby?" Weiss cut her off again, her eyes still locked to the blonde.

Yang raised an eyebrow. "She's... uh, she said she had to go to tutoring today. Did... did you want her here?"

Weiss twitched her nose, turning her head and finally freeing Yang from that cold, blood-freezing stare. "Not really. But I expected her." she said, whipping her head back around and narrowing her eyes at Yang. Several long moments passed where the only sounds came from the rain, until Weiss finally sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "So," she mumbled from behind her hand, "do you want to explain yourself?"

Sighing and leaning her head back, Yang said, "No, not really..." She straightened and pushed a hand through her hair. "It... I... it, umm..." She held her hand out in front of her, the fingers opening and closing in time with her mouth as she tried to sort her words. Her whole body slumped over as she breathed out, abandoning her attempt to explain. "Okay, Weiss," she said to the floor, "I'm-"

"Why do you do what you do?" The words were snarled through clenched teeth, piercing into Yang's heart.

She looked up, taken aback by the disgusted tone. "I... huh?"

"Why do you do what you do?" the white-haired girl repeated, her nostrils flaring and lips pinched tight. At Yang's confused expression, she rolled her eyes and took a step forward. "Why do you bother me? Why do you call me 'Ice Queen?' Why won't you leave me the _hell_ alone?!" Before Yang could try to respond, she continued, "And today! Dumping my lunch on me, _embarrassing _me in front of the entire school!" Her voice lowered, her eyes narrowing into hateful blue slits. "And then you had the nerve to make up that _bullshit _to the Malachite twins. I can't _wait_ for them to spread that foolish crap. _You _like _me_? HA!" She laughed a single, angry, and completely heartbreaking mocking bark that zapped through Yang like a fencer's thrust.

Clutching a hand to her chest, Yang's mouth dropped open and her eyes lowered to the ground. "But... I-"

If Weiss noticed the change in the blonde, she didn't let it show. "I've been thinking about it since lunch. You _knew _I was there, you had to! And you decided you'd tease me some more! You," she grimaced with disgust, spitting out her words, "are the worst person I've ever met." She turned away, walking to her backpack and leaving Yang standing shocked, tears gathering in her eyes. "Leave me alone. Don't ever talk to me again, Xiao Long."

"Wait!" Yang shouted, diving forward and grabbing Weiss' hand. The white-haired girl turned, her face the definition of rage. "Wait..." She let go, her hands returning to wringing each other raw while Weiss crossed her arms. "It... I... I, umm... I-"

"Spit it out, you buffoon!" Weiss screamed, clearly irritated by Yang's stumbling words.

"I _do _like you, Weiss!" Yang gasped, her mouth dry, making sure she looked directly into those ice-blue eyes, colder and more spiteful than winter's worst storms. "I do! I think you're pretty, and smart, and whenever you talk to me the world always seems brighter..." She felt breathless and light, as though a fist had unclenched from around her lungs.

"Ha!" That same, stabbing laugh; the grasp in her chest returned, tighter and more restrictive than an iron cage. "Yeah, right." Weiss scoffed, rolling her eyes and leaning down to pick up her bag. She hooked it over her shoulder and pushed past the blonde, opening her umbrella. "It won't work anymore, Xiao Long. I'm done with you." She passed through the waterfall wall, trudging across Beacon's drenched sidewalks making small, grumpy splashes.

"No..." Yang breathed to herself, shaking tearfully under the overhang. "No no no no no!" She grit her teeth and chased after Weiss, squinting against the rain and ignoring the fat drops that pelted her shoulders. "Weiss!" she called, jogging to catch up. There was no response from the white-haired girl, who simply continued walking. "Weiss, listen to me..." Yang said, following a step and a half behind. "I promise I'm telling the truth! I _do_ like you! I keep bothering you because I _don't know how else to tell you_!"

Weiss came to a dead stop, making Yang flounder as she tried not to crash into the glaring girl. She wrenched around, rainwater flying from the points of her umbrella, and stepped toward Yang. "What do you want from me? Huh? Do you think that just because you _promise _you're telling the truth that I'll believe you? I don't trust your promise. I don't trust _you_."

"I just want a chance." Yang sighed, her hair finally wet enough that it started to hang in front of her face like a yellow mop. She threw it back over her head with a hand, gazing into Weiss' furious eyes through the rain. "Can you give me a chance?"

"I gave you a chance when we went camping." Weiss hissed, starting to turn around.

"I'm sorry about camping!" Yang shouted over the rain. Weiss glanced back over her shoulder, but kept her body facing away. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have done what I did. But this will be different! Just you and me, and you can leave anytime you want."

"Hmph." Weiss raised her nose and continued walking forward.

"If you don't like it, I'll never talk to you again!" Yang yelled, growing desperate. She was starting to shiver, hugging her arms around her chest. "Just like you want!" Weiss paused again, turning around with one hand on her hips and waiting expectantly. "Just this once, and if you don't like it I'll never talk to you again. I promise."

The sound of the rain filled in the silence that settled between the two girls as Yang waited for a response to her offer. Her clothes were soaked through, clinging to her skin and chilling her even further. A strand of hair fell across her eyes, and after she pushed it away she saw Weiss striding toward her, her face scrunched up and annoyed. When they were close enough, Weiss lifted her umbrella over Yang's head, sheltering her from the weather. "I don't trust your promises..." Weiss whispered, causing Yang's heart to sink, "But I'll give you one more chance." Yang's face broke open into a huge smile, but Weiss raised a warning finger in front of her eyes before she could speak. "Just us. If I don't like it, I'm leaving. If I leave, you will never speak to me again." She lowered her hand back to her side when Yang nodded. "Now, what did you have in mind?"

Yang's mind whirled with ten thousand separate thoughts, searching through millions of options in the span of milliseconds. By some unholy amount of luck, Weiss Schnee was giving her a second chance. She was more scared, elated, and relieved than ever in her life. All she had to do was not mess it up, and then maybe _maybe_ _**maybe**_... something could happen? An idea stuck out like a live-saving hand. "We're having pizza tonight, if you wanted to come?"

A strange look washed across Weiss' face, and she sniffed in frustration, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Let me just call my _mother_..."

* * *

Cold yellow eyes watched her from across a spectacularly clean desk, surrounded by curly tendrils of dark, wavy hair that contrasted with the spotless whiteboard on the wall behind the woman. Cold, yellow, _hungry_ eyes, that scanned across her face and body like a wolf examining prey. She had to look away, look away from their piercing thirst and the thin smirk that put dread into her stomach. She turned her head and gazed out the window, watching the heavy rain splatter against the glass and roll down it's surface like tears.

"Ruby?" a slow, smooth voice beckoned to her, "Ruby, look at me." She did as she was told, reluctantly twisting her head back to face the smiling older woman as she stood out of her chair. "There we go..." the woman purred, the sickening smile growing. "Now, Ruby, it's time to begin the tutoring session."

"Yes, Ms. Fall..." Ruby mumbled, looking at the floor and wishing she could disappear. She hated tutoring.

"Your grades in my class have been rather disturbing lately," Ms. Fall said as she crossed the room to the door, her heels knocking against the tiles. "You'll have to work _extra_ hard if you want to bring them up in time to pass the class." She smirked over her shoulder as she closed the door and pulled the curtain down over the thin window that peeked into the hall. There was a '_click_' as she turned the latch, locking the door. "Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yes, Ms. Fall."

"Good, good. I feel so bad that we couldn't work together yesterday," She leaned back on her desk, slipping off her heels. "But staff meetings are every Monday, so what can I do?" she asked rhetorically as she tossed her shoes behind the desk, crossing her stockinged legs and grinning at the short, redheaded student in front of her. "But now you're all mine."

Ruby quelled her shivering by staring at the whiteboard, glancing over every small scratch and leftover oily fingerprint that she could see in the ceiling lights' glare. She chewed the inside of her lip, her fingers rolling the hem of her sweater as she willed her legs still. Ms. Fall could always tell when she was scared, and that made things worse. It always made things worse, as she'd learned early on.

Ms. Fall sighed and stood, brushing down the front of her black office skirt and walking over to Ruby, who stood in the wide emptiness separating the teacher's and the students' desks. She embraced the younger girl, pulling her close and resting her chin on the top of her head. "Mmm..." she hummed, breathing deep, "You're still using the strawberry shampoo, I see. Good, I love the way it smells..." Ruby's arms hung limply by her side, while Ms. Fall's traced up her back. "I'm a little disappointed, though, that you're not wearing your usual sweatshirt anymore. I miss it, it went so well with your hair..." she said, twirling a strand of dark, reddish hair around her finger.

Silver eyes stared lifelessly at the whiteboard, barely able to see past the red-clad bosom of her teacher. She wanted to cry, wanted to scream and run away and hide forever... but the last time she cried she was punished. Ms. Fall didn't like it when she cried.

Manicured fingers gripped her shoulders gently, Ms. Fall pulling back and staring into her eyes, a thin, sly grin creasing her mouth. "Let's talk about your grades, Ruby." she whispered, placing a hand on the side of Ruby's face. "They're not very good right now, and dropping like crazy." Her other hand slid down the front of Ruby's shirt, going lower and lower. "Maybe if... certain other things... dropped instead..." Ms. Fall murmured into her ear, her breath tickling the edges of her skin, "then things... could change..." Her hand disappeared beneath the waist of the gray leggings. Ms. Fall chuckled as Ruby squirmed, quiet restrained moans leaking between her tightly squeezed lips. "Shh Ruby, shh... it feels good, doesn't it? Relax, relax, shh..." She pushed herself against the short student, closing her eyes and humming. She wrapped an arm around Ruby's head and pulled her face close to her chest, sighing, "There, doesn't that feel good?"

Ruby squeaked and grimaced, trying to pull away from the stronger, older woman who kept her head pressed against her breasts. It didn't feel good. It felt awful; horrible, dirty, and sickening. She wanted to throw up. Ms. Fall began to kiss along her neck and shoulders, ignoring her feeble struggles and reaching deeper into Ruby's pants. With a stifled grunt, Ruby shoved against her teacher's shoulders, separating herself from the dark-haired woman.

A hand slapped against her cheek, stinging and painful. She glanced up, fearfully watching the suddenly furious yellow eyes. "Don't do that, Ruby." Ms. Fall snapped, her voice deepening to a low growl. "If you do that you have to be punished. You remember Friday, don't you?" Ruby remembered. Her arms remembered. Her bruises remembered. She unconsciously rubbed at her elbows as Ms. Fall hugged her again. "I don't mean to do it, Ruby," Ms. Fall crooned, nuzzling her nose against Ruby's forehead. "I don't _like_ being cruel, hurting you, but sometimes you don't give me a choice." Cold lips covered in scarlet lipstick kissed her head, stroking her fingers along Ruby's reddening cheek. "Promise me you won't do it again?" she asked, pouting her lips. When Ruby didn't move, she grabbed her by the chin and forced her head upwards, glaring into the young girl's eyes. "You promise, don't you?" Ruby nodded. "Good, good." She licked her lips, smiling wide. "Now, take it off..."

Ms. Fall released Ruby and walked around to the other side of the desk, unbuttoning her crimson work shirt and pulling it off her arms, dropping it unceremoniously on the ground beside her shoes. Ruby sat on a desk, slowly pulling off her boots and leggings, standing as she let her skirt fall to the floor. Stepping out of the pile of clothes, she pulled the gray sweater over her head, folding it before laying it next to her things. Ms. Fall was waiting for her when she straightened, summoning her to the desk with a curling finger. "Lie down, Ruby." She did as she was told.

She lay on the desk, her arms by her side and her whole body stiff. She stared at the ceiling, watching out of the corner of her vision as Ms. Fall knelt over her, rubbing her hands along her stomach and creeping towards her brassiere. She tried to cover herself as the underwear was pulled away, but a quick smack on her hand discouraged any further attempts. She didn't want to be punished. Punishment hurt. She gulped and held back tears as she felt fingers hook underneath the edges of her underwear, rolling them down her legs.

She hated tutoring.

But it was okay. It wasn't happening to her anymore. She was far away; this was some other girl laying on the desk. Some other girl, naked and scared and on the verge of crying, being tortured by her teacher. This wasn't her. "Spread your legs, Ruby..." The girl's teacher said, hungry yellow eyes growing wider and more excited. The girl did as she was told. Ruby was far away; the girl stared blankly at the ceiling, a single tear escaping from her eyes and dripping past her ears as she shook and whimpered while her teacher did horrible things. "You're going to love this, Ruby..." This wasn't her. She was far away. This wasn't her. This was someone else. It wasn't happening to her. This was someone else.

**…**

The hallways of Beacon were silent and shiny, freshly cleaned by the tireless janitorial staff and ready to be abused and dirtied by the hundreds of high school students tomorrow. Gasps and coughs echoed through the empty building as Ruby ran toward the exit, her shoes scuffing the immaculate tiles and her tears leaving small, circular splotches on an otherwise clean floor. Her clothes were wrinkled and uneven, and she pulled her sleeves further toward her wrists as she burst through the doors and into the cool, rainy Spring air.

She breathed deep, wiping her eyes before launching into another bout of intense sobs, stumbling around before she collapsed against a brick wall, sliding down its scratchy surface until she sat on the cold, hard concrete. Pulling her knees in close and hanging her head, she cried and cried, covering herself with her arms. "Why?" she gasped between sobs, "Why me? God damn it, why?" The rain answered her with only its unending clatter, offering no warmth.

She reached up and fingered the large black bow that was now tied into her hair. "_A present,_" Ms. Fall had said, after their 'tutoring' session, "_I want you to wear it from now on. If I see you without it..._" she had warned, "_You will be punished._" It felt like a brand, burned into her skin with a fiery rod. She wished she had the inner strength to rip it off and stomp it into the dirt, leaving it to rot and wash away with the rain.

Slowly rising to her feet, she fished into her pocket and retrieved her phone, checking the time. It was almost eight; the street lights were on, wide beams of light illuminating the torrent of drops that poured from the sky. Groaning and sniffling, she quickly typed a message to her sister.

_To: Yang  
Can you pick me up? It's raining really hard._

The response came moments later, the light from her phone one of very few brightening the grounds of Beacon.

_From: Yang  
Can't. Weiss is here. You have an umbrella right?_

_To: Yang  
Yeah, but how about just walking home with me?_

_From: Yang  
Weiss is here, I can't leave. It's not a long walk, we've done it before. See you soon, there's still some pizza!_

Ruby leaned her head back against the sharp bricks, sighing and stamping her foot. It wasn't that she was scared of the rain, or of the dark, or of walking home... she just didn't want to be alone. A strong gust of wind made her shiver, stuffing her hands into her armpits. She just wanted to go home and shower, get warm and wash off all the _filth_ that coated her body. Well, a shower from the rain would clean her just as well as one in a bathtub; let the frigid rain cleanse her of the horrible feeling of wrongness that clung to her skin. Maybe she'd get sick, and get to stay home from school.

Pulling up her hood, she journeyed into the rain, keeping her head down and her shoulders raised against the cold. The heavy raindrops smacked against her back and head like forceful poking fingers, leaking freezing wetness into her clothes and hiding the latest stream of tears that rolled down her cheeks. The sidewalk was lined with shaking trees and bushes, bordered with a low stone wall that glowed a dull gray in the dim, stormy evening.

"I hate this!" she mumbled into the rain, the air cold enough that she could see her breath. "I hate this life!" she cried. "I want to go far away! Far away from this place and forget it ever existed! I wish someone would just take me far away! I hate this pla-"

"Oh!"

Ruby's head whipped around, her eyes searching through the heavy rain for whoever just spoke. "W-Who's there?" she asked, holding herself tighter. Her heart seized with panic as a tall, barefoot figure with long, wet black hair emerged from behind a bush. Pointed black ears were pressed flat against the figure's head, flicking off the occasional raindrop and drawing Ruby's attention away from the glowing golden eyes. "Y-You're the... but you're not... but..." she stammered, frozen in fear and barely able to think.

"Umm, I... I think I can help you, Strawberry Girl..." the monster said in a shy, bashful tone, twisting its fingers nervously. "I can-"

"You're the monster!" Ruby screamed, scrambling backwards. She turned to run, but tripped over a fallen branch and plummeted downward, her arms whirling to try and catch her balance. Her vision went black when her head slammed against the stone wall, and she fell face-first into the shallow flow of water that streamed down the concrete.

"Oh no!" cried the creature, its hands flying to its mouth in shocked worry. "Are... are you alright?" it asked, tentatively reaching one hand towards the unmoving prone girl. "Oh no! Oh no!" she sputtered when there was no response, pacing frantically as she tried to think of what to do. "Oh no! Oh no oh no!" Moving quickly, she picked up the unconscious girl by the arms and dragged her out of the rain and into the relative protection of a broad-limbed maple tree, where at least the ground was not quite as saturated as the sidewalk. "I... I... What do I do?" the monster moaned, rocking on her knees beside the red-haired human. After several moments of racing thoughts, she lifted the girl, backpack and all, positioning her on her shoulders and starting to walk back the way she came.

Why had she done that? She could imagine him shaking his head. She should not have done that. She should not have revealed herself. What was she going to do when the human woke up? What would she do if someone found her?

But... it was the Strawberry Girl! She owed her a debt, and she'd asked for help...

The library could wait. She had to help the Strawberry Girl.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I'm so sorry. I feel sick. There was a lot of starting and stopping, writing that portion. My greatest fear is that I overdid it, making it pornographic when it's really abuse.

I look forward to your thoughts.

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	8. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

The door quietly latched behind her, shutting out the crinkle of the rain, the dull thumps of distant thunder, and the faint hum of an engine as a car drove back down the long driveway. Weiss stood frozen for a moment, her fingers lingering on the doorknob as though she were about to throw it open and charge back into the storm after the fleeing car. Her mother and father were both sat reading in a pair of armchairs in the foyer, the former looking up with a cheerful smile. "Hi honey!" she greeted in her warm voice, pulling off her reading glasses and setting her book down on the nearby side table. "Did you have fun with Yang?"

If Weiss had heard her mother she didn't show it, staring off into the distance with a blank expression, slowly lowering her arm back to her side. Her mother frowned, and was about to speak again when Weiss suddenly tromped to the stairs, taking them two at a time and disappearing to the upper floor. She quickly made her way to her room, kicking off her shoes and dropping her backpack on the ground before leaping into her bed and curling into a tight ball, dragging the covers over her head. Her world was now small, dark, and warm, the only sound coming from her smooth, even breathing as she tried to relax the emotional maelstrom inside her chest.

After a couple minutes, she heard two gentle taps on her door, shortly followed by a weight settling beside her on the bed. "What's the matter dear?" Her mother asked in a slow, soothing tone, laying her hand lightly on Weiss' back. "You haven't cocooned yourself like this since... you transferred..." she trailed off, the hand on Weiss' back drawing into a fist. The weight released from her mattress as her mother stood, pacing about the room. Her mother bellowed, "I knew it! She _is_ bullying you! I never liked her from the start! You can't trust blondes, you know!" She stopped her pacing in the middle of the room, angrily setting her hands on her hips. "Give me her address! Right this second, young lady! I'm going to go over there and give her parents a piece of my mind! Bully my child will you, you filthy, stinking little-"

"Mom!" Weiss shouted from under the covers, her voice muffled by the multiple layers of warm fabric, "She didn't bully me! And her dad isn't even there..." she added, lower and mostly to herself.

Her mother sat down on her bedside, drawing breath in an exaggerated gasp. "You mean you two were _alone_ there? What if... what if... Did you two _do_ anything?"

"MOM! NO!" Weiss poked her head out from under the covers, rolling her eyes and scoffing.

"I know dear, I'm just teasing you." Her cheeks were dimpled with joking cheer as she reached over, patting and rubbing her daughter's back and letting her temper settle. "So then why are you all wrapped up? Did something happen?"

Weiss rolled onto her back, her eyes wandering the ceiling for a few moments before she groaned and pulled the covers over her face again. "I don't want to talk about it..."

Not so easily dissuaded, her mother pressed further, using one finger to draw the sheets away from the young girl's head. "What _do_ you want to talk about then?"

"Mom! I don't want to talk about anything! Leave me alone!"

"I don't think so honey." She assumed a smirk that said 'try me.' "My daughter has secluded herself in her room and is obviously upset; she's not going to get me to go away that simply. Come on, talk to me. You'll feel better afterwards, I promise."

Understanding that her mother was not going to leave just because she asked, Weiss sighed and sat up, letting the covers gather by her waist. "Okay..." Her mother clapped excitedly, leaning back and waiting with a smile. Weiss crossed her legs and held her head in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. "Well, after I called you, we walked to her house. I was still mad at her, and suspicious, but we just talked." She glanced up, and at her mother's encouraging gesture, continued, "We talked about school, recent movies, our favorite music..." She sighed again, pinching her lips together. "Then she asked what I wanted on my pizza, and we talked some more while we waited."

"About what?"

"I... I can't remember." Her mother's eyebrows raised at Weiss' blush, and Weiss, flustered, raised her hands in protestation of her innocence. "No, really! Then the pizza arrived and we ate it on her porch, watching the storm and talking some more. She had blankets and pillows and everything and it was really... nice."

"What did you expect?"

"I... I don't know, but nothing like that. Nothing... nice. But then I felt tired and asked to go home, and then... here we are!" Her weak smile did not fool her mother, the older woman tilting her head downward toward her daughter, a skeptical glimmer in her eyes.

"What happened, dear?"

Blushing and groaning, Weiss fell backward and hid her face behind her hands. "Nothing! I don't want to talk about it!"

"You can't leave out the best part, sweetie!" her mother gasped, bouncing up and down with excited energy and chuckling at her daughter's embarrassment. "What happened?!"

Weiss turned onto her side, pulling the covers up to her chin. "When we got here, and I started to get out, she... she grabbed my arm and... and said..."

"Weiss, come on! I'm dying here!"

"She... she thanked me for coming, and then said..." her voice faded away, and she pulled the covers back over her head while mumbling something, the sheets making her words completely unintelligible.

"What?"

Weiss moaned with embarrassed anguish, levering herself upward and throwing off the covers. "She said I looked really pretty, and then she leaned over and _kissed_ me! Right on the cheek!" she screamed, repositioning so she kneeled on the bed. She reached up and touched the spot, the feeling of Yang's quick, warm peck still persistently enduring.

Her mother stared at her, nonplussed, then sighed and looked away, disappointment written across her face. "That's it?" she asked, turning back to her daughter.

"Yes! Isn't it unbelievable?!"

Still quite confused, "Hmm, well, I suppose she _does_ like you after all." she said with a small shrug. "But that doesn't explain... this." She waved her hand in a circle, indicating Weiss' mournful tantrum. "So what's _really_ bugging you?"

Making a noise somewhere between a groan and a sigh, Weiss turned around and fell against her bed, pushing her face into her pillow to hide her blush. "It's because I've been so _mean _to her! I've cursed her up and down and to her face and in front of _everyone_! I've called her names and avoided her... I've been horrible! I'm a horrible, horrible, horrible person!" She rolled over, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "You were right, Mom." she sniffled, "She was just being nice. She was trying to tell me she _liked_ me, and I've been so rude and mean!"

Her mother sighed, patting her hand against Weiss' legs while the latter sobbed. "You may have been mean, and rude, but an apology would go a long way to fixing this, and you know that. It's not any reason to hide in your bed and cry! So she likes you, so what?"

"It's not that either!" Weiss cried, hiding her face behind her hands. "It's because I've said all those terrible things to her, but she _still_ likes me, and now..." She cast her arms to her sides, her hands hanging over the edge of her bed, staring teary-eyed at the ceiling and letting her sniffles fade away. "I use to be so sure that she was a bully. I used to be so sure I hated her." she said quietly, "But now? Now I'm afraid I _like_ her, but that I've done too much damage for her to think I'm still worth it."

Rolling her eyes, her mother leaned forward and kissed Weiss' forehead, smiling as she sat back. "Don't worry too much, dear," she said as she stood, walking back to the doorway, "I'm sure she hasn't given up on you yet."

Covering her eyes with her arm as her mother shut the door and turned off the light, Weiss whispered, "But you don't know what I said to her..."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this chapter is so short; I wasn't planning on writing the 'date,' but thought that it wouldn't make sense to not at least _allude_ to what happened. This chapter wraps up Tuesday night, so now we can finally move on to Wednesday! Yay!

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please remember to review/follow/favorite the story!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	9. Confession

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Notes: **Sorry about the delay, I've been unnaturally busy lately. I'm not too happy with this chapter, but **Maple** says its okay. Enjoy.

* * *

The scent of the night's rain wafted through the open window and drifted around Yang's room, the clean, wet smell accompanying the damp chill of early Spring's stormy weather and tempting the tired blonde into pulling her covers closer to her neck. Her alarm had gone off several minutes ago, its blaring tones inadequate motivation to force her out of bed. With a sigh of defeat, Yang conceded to her responsibilities and removed herself from under the sheets, stretching in front of the open window and glowering at the torrential rainfall that continued, unending, to splatter against the ground.

The morning was as gray and morose as her mood, her mind trapped in a depressed loop of the 'date' last night. Things had been so promising, after they had gotten home. Weiss had been smiling, talking, even laughing once or twice. The pizza had been good, the atmosphere felt comfortable and relaxed, and the talk had been cheerful. But then... She shook her head, regret weighing like sandbags on her body. And then in the car! Yang groaned as she walked past Ruby's door, knocking twice. "Time to get up, sis." She grumbled on her way to the stairs, walking down slowly with heavy, thudding footsteps.

Bland cereal clashed with sour orange juice while she glanced over the boring newspaper, lethargically shoveling food into her mouth. She shouldn't have asked. That's where the problems started. Yang kicked aside pillows that had lain on the floor overnight on her way to the sink, scrubbing clean her dishes and climbing back up the stairs to the bathroom. Warm water pounded on her skin in a reflection of the rain that pattered against the window, her thoughts consumed with white hair and icy blue eyes. She chose a gray sweater and black jeans, tying the knots on the tall black boots while thinking about a particular red line that dashed across ravishingly pale skin. Letting loose a mournful whine and laying back on her bed, Yang stared at the ceiling, trying to build up the courage to go to school. Her last chance had blown away in a twirl of a blue umbrella and Beacon's gym clothes. Three strikes, you're out.

Banned from the game.

She had shouldered her backpack and was three steps down from the top of the stairs when she realized she hadn't seen Ruby yet. "Ruby? You there?" She walked back to her sister's door, knocking twice more. "Are you ready for school?" Getting no response, Yang pushed open the door and hastily searched the room. The bed was made and covered in familiar fluffy pillows, Ruby's black sleeping mask hanging from the bedpost. The floor was littered with a mix of clean and dirty clothes, garnished with a mismatched pair of shoes haphazardly dropped in the middle of the room. "Huh." Come to think of it, she hadn't heard her shower either. Well, Yang had lain in bed for a _lot_ longer than usual. Maybe Ruby had gone to school without her?

Locking the door and stuffing her keys back into her pocket, Yang pulled out her phone and typed a quick message before setting into the rain.

_To: Ruby  
Where are you? Are you at school already?_

The heavy sprinkle served as perfect background noise for her tumultuous thoughts, her eyes staring blankly ahead while her mind pored over the events of the previous day. Was Weiss thinking about this as much as she was? She doubted it. Thick raindrops beat against the top of her umbrella, sending subtle vibrations through Yang's arm that she ignored as she plodded through shallow puddles, one boot in front of the other again and again and again until finally she stood at the top of the hill, staring down at Beacon High School. "Here goes."

Drips left small spots of water on the hallway's tiles as she trudged through the crowds of students that clogged the front entranceway, her half-lidded, tired eyes automatically scanning across face after face without recognition. Deciding to check on Ruby's usual haunt, a corner by the water fountain in the old science hallway, Yang turned left, bumping off a pair of snickering boys and dragging her feet. She couldn't get Weiss off her mind, and it took until she nearly ran into someone that she looked up from the ground.

Short green hair danced in front of her eyes, brushing against a tanned-brown neck that disappeared under a white jacket. The young woman turned around, a sneer pulling at the edge of her mouth, fixing Yang with angry burgundy eyes. "Piss off." said the woman, who Yang now recognized as Emerald Sustrai, shoving a hand into Yang's shoulder. To her left, a tall boy with steel-gray hair peeked a lackadaisical eye at the blonde before growing bored and turning back to a third student.

Glancing away and mumbling, "I-I'm sorry. Wasn't paying attention..." Yang walked around the trio and plodded further into the hallway, searching the far corners for her sister. Curiosity nagged in her mind, and she peered back over her shoulder, her breath catching in her throat.

Dazzling white hair hung over the back of a blue jacket, the zippers on a familiar white backpack and silver earrings jangling as Emerald poked her finger against the girl's chest. A blue umbrella was clenched in a white-knuckled fist, a small puddle growing by the heels of the girl's white boots. A radiance of cold fury emanated from the girl's back, and Yang could only imagine the rage that burned inside a certain pair of pale azure eyes.

Weiss.

Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black were picking on Weiss Schnee.

This was not to be allowed, even _if_ Weiss didn't want to speak to her. Even _if_ she never wanted to see a single strand of Yang's blonde hair again, _no one_ was allowed to pick on Weiss Schnee.

The clacking sound of Yang's umbrella as it dropped to the ground echoed throughout the nearly empty hallway, stopping Emerald mid-insult. "Hey!" Yang shouted, unhooking her backpack from her shoulders and letting it join her umbrella. "Get away from her!" She started marching back to the three students, her eyebrows deepening into a vehement frown. Emerald crossed her arms and leaned away from her victim, looking at Yang with surprise. Slowly, Yang watched Weiss turn around, but when those heart-stopping eyes met hers, she stumbled to a halt, her mouth opening in shock.

It wasn't rage that boiled in the sad blue depths; it was fear. It wasn't anger that made the hands shake, the shoulders heave, and the lips tremble; it was terror. Yang's eyes were locked to the glimmering tears that welled in the edges of Weiss' eyes, a whole new fury gathering in her gut.

"What do _you_ want, Xiao Long?" Emerald's grating voice drew her attention to the annoyed scowl, and Yang stomped forward until she stood between the pair of bullies and Weiss. "Why don't you run along?"

"I could say the same to you." Yang growled through clenched teeth.

Emerald scoffed. "You think you can take both of us?" She flicked her fingers between herself and Mercury.

"You think you two can take _me_?"

Emerald's smile shrank slightly, but Mercury chuckled. "When do you want to go, blondie? I'll take you anywhere..." He winked.

"Ick." Yang grimaced, reaching back and grabbing Weiss' shivering arm. "Come on Weiss, we'd better head to class."

Another hand latched onto her wrist, the fingers gripping tight. "Oh, come on blondie, don't leave. We weren't done _playing_ yet!" Mercury laughed and dragged her back in front of the pair of bullies, Emerald wearing a victorious smirk. "Why don't you and me go somewhere more... _private_, and leave these two," He nodded to Emerald and Weiss, "to their very important 'discussion.'" He lay his hand on her shoulder, leaning in so his stupid grin was close to her face.

"Get off me you creep!"

Mercury chuckled, his eyes wandering down the front of Yang's chest to stare shamelessly at her bust. "I think you and me would be _great_ friends. I'm not too big a fan of Tiny Tits over there, but _you_, you are my kind of gal. Why don't we-"

_Tap.  
Tap.  
Tap._

Three sharp clicks of a wooden cane on tile interrupted the tall bully, four pairs of eyes glancing at the end of the hallway. A tall man dressed in a brown-and-green suit stood patiently watching the group over the edge of green oval-shaped glasses. He brushed a hand through silvering hair and cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, I think that's enough." His voice, although light and gentle, carried a strong, unarguable authority. "Mister Black and Miss Sustrai, would you please come with me to my office?" He held up a hand to silence their impending protests. "Miss Xiao Long and Miss Schnee, may I suggest that you head to your first period classes?"

Yang and Weiss glanced at each other as Mercury and Emerald slunk away under the watchful, punitive eye of Principal Ozpin, then Yang sighed and turned away, walking back to her things. She peered back after shouldering her backpack, just in time to watch Weiss' ponytail bounce around the corner. Her shoulders drooped as she plodded down the hallway, resuming her search for Ruby.

* * *

Water dripped from the high branches of the fir tree she lay under, splashing on her cheeks and dragging away the speckles of dirt on her face as it rolled across her skin. Ruby's eyes flickered open to squint against the thin rays of dim sunlight that pierced through the short needles that hung above her head. She jerked up with a gasp, fervently swiveling her head and searching her surroundings. She was alone, it appeared, in the forest with nothing but-

A fierce, pounding headache that set her vision on fire with pain. Ruby grimaced and moaned, clapping her hands to the back of her head and falling back onto the bed of yellowed needles. "Ow ow ow..." she groaned. Her elbow bumped against something hard, and she glanced behind her to find her backpack, which had served as a pillow during her... rest? How had she gotten here?

Wincing but pushing through the pain, Ruby managed to stand, albeit on weak, shaky legs, propping herself against the tree's trunk. The damp chill of the rain started to creep through her adrenaline and fear, Ruby keeping her arms close to her chest to stay warm while she once again examined the forest.

The backpack, red and black and mottled with mud, lay at her feet, crumpled and lumpy from when she had slept on it. The sweatshirt she was wearing was halfway to being reasonably dry, small dark gray spots sprinkled across the chest and arms from the raindrops that managed to sneak between the tree's branches. Her socks were moist through her boots, clinging and cold around her ankles. But the most important thing she noticed was the absence of _anyone_. All she could see was trees and bushes; not a single hint of civilization was visible through the dense groves that shook in the rain.

She was alone.

Ruby sank down the trunk until she sat on the damp carpet of needles, hugging her knees to her chin and crying. She was alone and lost in the woods, with no idea of how she got there. "How?" she choked through her growing sobs, "How did I get here? Why am I here? Why is this happening to me?" Several long moments of nothing but the constant rain and her tearful wailing were interrupted by faint footsteps, rhythmic crackling and snapping of twigs that was steadily growing louder. Ruby glanced up, using the trunk to support herself as she rose to her feet and peered through the fir's low branches.

A tall woman was carefully walking across the underbrush, watching her feet and unaware of the scared redheaded girl staring at her through a thin wall of conifer needles. Ruby slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream. She had thought she was saved, but the miraculous appearance of the hiker who would rescue her from the forest had turned into a curse. Ruby shoved herself behind the tree trunk while fresh tears gathered in her eyes, trying to be as small as she could.

The woman had Ms. Fall's face.

She wasn't saved; she was thrown into an even deeper hell.

Wavy black hair bounced as the woman continued tromping through the tall grass and shrubs that littered the forest's floor, hunched over a small bundle in her arms to protect it from the rain. Ruby peeked a frightened silver eye around the trunk, holding her breath and trying to still her shivering. The woman with Ms. Fall's face stopped, only a few steps away from the fir tree where Ruby cowered, a frown of confusion enveloping her features as she stared at the lonely backpack on the ground. She looked up and around, one hand rising to her mouth in... worry? "Strawberry Girl? Are you here?" Ruby turned her head back, hoping she was hidden behind the trunk, silently and desperately praying. "Strawberry Girl?" The woman didn't _sound_ like Ms. Fall. "Where are you?!" The calls were getting louder and more anxious. And closer. "Strawberry Girl!?" If only she'd go away. Just go away. Just go away. "Strawber- oh."

Ruby's blood froze, not a single part of her body moving except her eyes, which flicked to the side. They met the same chilling, shining gold discs that had glowed with reflected firelight only days earlier.

The eyes of a monster.

Every nerve in her body screamed at her to _run_. "There you are. I was worri-" Ruby shrieked and pushed off the trunk, urging her body forward, forward, _forward_! Away! _Away!_ Her heart thudded in her ears in time with the thump of her boots against the ground, splashing through puddles and across prickly thistles in her need to escape. "Wait!"

She looked back over her shoulder as she thundered through the forest, seeing the woman – no, the _monster_ – drop the bundle she carried and start running after her. Now even more terrified, Ruby redoubled her efforts at escape, straining every muscle and tearing through the rain-drenched forest with loud, heavy footsteps.

Mid-step, her back foot slid in a patch of mud, costing her her balance and causing her to stumble and crash into a tree. More pain lanced through her shoulder; fierce, burning agony that felt like red-hot nails being hammered into her arm. Slightly dazed and hissing in pain, Ruby staggered forward, still desperate to escape from the woman pursuing her. A stubborn bush caught the toe of her boot, tipping Ruby to the ground with a dull crunch of body-on-twigs. She rolled so she didn't land on her shoulder, and, keeping her injured arm clutched to her chest, tried to push herself back to her feet. Fatigue caught up with her, her arm giving out under her own weight and she smashed back into the mud.

"Are you alright?" a worried voice said from above her.

Ruby jolted in the dirt, turning onto her back and staring with wide, scared eyes at the beast that stood over her, offering her a hand. "Get away!" yelled Ruby, kicking awkwardly at the hand and trying to wriggle backwards. "Stay away from me!"

"You're hurt, Strawberry Girl! Let me help you!"

"Get away!" Another push, and something in Ruby's shoulder snapped, sending a wash of pain through her body. "AAAUGH!" she screamed, arching her back and thrashing on the ground.

"Strawberry Girl!" The pain was too much. Between the agony, the fear, and the exhaustion, Ruby's body had had enough. "Oh no!" Blackness spread like spilled ink across her vision, her body and mind going numb as she sank into unconsciousness. The last thing she felt was the embrace of thin, warm arms cradling her legs and head, lifting her from the mud.

* * *

Golden-brown french fries staled as they sat immersed in the mound of ketchup, poking upwards like small greasy pillars from the pool of red sauce. The thin slice of pizza had quickly grown cold, but it probably would have been nasty anyway. Cafeteria pizza always tasted like cardboard. To Yang, everything tasted like cardboard today.

The tall blonde sat slumped over in her chair, smushing her cheek as she rested her head on her fist. Her other hand prodded at a carton of chocolate milk, but when that was finally pushed out of easy reach her fingers tapped quietly against the tabletop. Pyrrha and Nora sat across from her, awkwardly eating their respective salad and hamburger, occasionally glancing up to check on the melancholic blonde. Their corner of the lunch room was silent save for the sound of chewing and the depressed sighs that issued from Yang's mouth every two to three minutes.

"Yang..." said Pyrrha, quickly wiping her fingers with a paper napkin before reaching over and grabbing the blonde's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Really. So this didn't work out, that's fine. There's plenty of other girls around..."

"Yeah!" Nora's chirp was filled with forced cheer. "Like me! We could go out! But you'd have to clear it with Ren first."

Yang's lips twitched, and she switched arms. "Thanks guys." Her finger traced circles on the table, her eyes staring blankly at her tray of food.

"Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten anything."

"Want some of my hamburger?"

Sighing and leaning back, Yang sank down in her chair and let her arms hang. "No, but thanks. I'm just not hungry."

"Do you want to talk about it? What happened?"

Yang closed her eyes and shook her head. "The... the date didn't go well. I mean, it _started _okay, but... it didn't finish so good." She leaned forward and put her elbows on the table, her hands running through her hair to rest on the back of her neck. "Before it started, she made me promise that if she left I would leave her alone. Like 'never talk to her again' alone." She peeked up at Pyrrha, who was grimacing in sympathy. "Long story short, she left."

Pyrrha breathed out, patting Yang on the shoulder. "No offense to your tastes, Yang, but Weiss is kind of a bitch."

A soft chuckle broke from Yang's mouth, her shoulders shaking. "Haha, yeah. But... you know." She sniffled and crossed her arms, letting Pyrrha get back to her salad. "But what's _really _got me down is that I think Ruby is mad at me." Both Nora's and Pyrrha's eyebrows rose at this statement. "Yeah. I think it's 'cause I yelled at her yesterday, and then didn't pick her up from school. She hasn't texted me back from this morning, and I think she's avoiding me. Sure, she could be in detention, _again_, but you'd think she'd text me first. Have you two seen her?"

Both girls shook their head, staring worriedly at the blonde. "Maybe her phone is dead?" Nora offered, setting down her burger.

Yang frowned at this, then disagreed. "No, I don't think that's it. I think she's mad at me." Yang shrugged, settling back in her seat. "Oh well, I'm sure we'll talk it out when we get home. It's not like we _never_ fight, it's just... rare. I just hope she's not _mad_ mad."

"Uh... speaking of _mad_ mad..." Nora pointed over Yang's shoulder, her turquoise eyes wide and nervous. "You've got company. I mean, I _assume_ it's for you."

Yang stiffened, turning and rising from her chair with her fists clenched, expecting a certain pair of bullies come to get revenge. Instead, she was met with a face full of frost-white hair and a pair of stern, hard-as-steel blue eyes glaring at her. Yang deflated with a drawn out sigh, dropping back into her chair and turning away. Why was _she _here? She'd made her feelings pretty clear last night. It wasn't as if Yang could say anything, right? She returned to poking at her food, ignoring the tapping foot and indignant huff that sounded from behind her.

"Yang Xiao Long, turn around!"

She was suddenly aware of the quietness that blanketed the cafeteria. Everyone wanted to watch the Ice Queen explode again. Yang did as requested, shifting in her seat but keeping her gaze locked on the ground.

"Why did you do that this morning?!"

Yang shrugged. Her eyes never left the floor. Her arms were limp in her lap.

"Why did you do that _thing_ last night?"

What? Yang looked up, meeting Weiss' glare and frowning in confusion. She almost opened her mouth to ask 'What do you mean?' but then remembered her promise.

"You have nothing to say?" A quick shake of her head made Weiss roll her eyes. "Come with me." The short girl spun on her heel with a '_squeak_' and stomped off, seemingly confident that Yang would not refuse.

She almost did. She almost turned back to her food and her friends and forgot about the irritable transfer student that wanted nothing to do with her. But a weak voice from her heart argued 'Go!', and with a defeated sigh Yang stood and followed the dancing ponytail out of the cafeteria, tracked by the hundreds of her excited, murmuring peers.

Lead by Weiss, the pair walked to the school's courtyard, a small, rarely-taken-advantage-of rectangular space open to the elements and decorated with an artificial stream. Clear beads of water hanging from maturing leaves glistened in the cloudy light as the two girls trod along the covered walkway, safe from the vicious downpour underneath the sloped roof. Weiss sat on a backless bench in a corner of the yard, the only one protected by a stiff metal awning that streamed with water. She nodded for Yang to sit beside her, clasping her hands in her lap and crossing her legs.

They were alone, none of their fellow students courageous enough to brave the weather to eavesdrop on their imminent conversation. Though it wouldn't be much of one; Yang wasn't allowed to speak, after all. The rain beat against the awning, frenzied by a quick gust of wind that ruffled Yang's hair and made Weiss zip her jacket higher. Yang sat, silent and still, just as Weiss wanted, taking the occasional peek at the white-haired girl's face. It looked... troubled. One moment she'd be frowning, and the next look pensive and contemplative.

Finally, she cleared her throat. "I don't think I've been fair to you, Yang." Weiss didn't look at the blonde, instead wringing her fingers while watching the rain splatter against the cement. There was another long pause before she spoke again. "I transferred here from a private school. It was supposed to be the best education money could buy, filled with difficult and challenging classes taught by the most respected teachers, but that was just the crap they told my parents." Her lips trembled and she breathed a quiet sigh through her nose. "All the students were rich children, myself included, and were never scolded or punished, no matter what they did."

Weiss' feet fidgeted, toeing at the rain-splashed concrete. She twisted her mouth, blinking and reaching up to brush some hair out of her face. "I was... very popular," Yang snorted at this, smiling and thinking 'Duh.' "because of my scar. People liked to ask about it to get a reaction out of me." Weiss finished, and Yang's smile evaporated. "They'd whisper about it as I'd walk past, knowing I could hear. They'd call me names, leave notes in my desk or in my backpack. Before I left, even some of the teachers had started calling me 'Scarface' or 'Eggshell Schnee.'" Weiss wiped something from the far side of her face, and even though Yang couldn't see it, she knew it was a tear. "Because when you're rich, you're not allowed to be imperfect. Everything you say has to be proper, everything you do has to be correct, and the way you look has to be..." She sniffed and breathed out, lowering her shoulders. "...flawless." she finished, looking down and watching her fingers wrap around each other. Yang resisted the urge to tackle her and hug her with all her might.

"I'd like to think I grew a thicker skin, that I was able to laugh away or ignore most of the insults, but most days would end with me crying in my bed, hidden under the covers." The urge grew stronger. Yang grit her teeth and clamped her lips shut, focusing on Weiss' words. "But the worst was yet to come. Every year the school puts on a really extravagant Christmas celebration, and the students are encouraged to invite each other to the annual dance. There was this boy, Cardin, who asked me again and again, every day for a week, to go with him to this dance." Weiss' voice was growing shaky and high-pitched, her bottom lip quivering. "But I thought he was ugly and smelled funny, so I turned him down every time. Sometimes rather aggressively. You know what I mean." She jerked her head at Yang, waving with her hand. Yang nodded but Weiss didn't see it, staring off into the distance as she talked. "So when it was _finally_ clear that I wasn't interested, he became my chief tormentor." Rage burned in Yang's gut, a boiling fire that was only kept in check by the empathetic sadness that weighed in her heart.

"He and his cronies made it their _duty_ to mess with me. My lunch would be spilled. My locker would get spray painted with slanders and filth. My backpack would get thrown into the garbage while I was in gym." The way Weiss described it so nonchalantly astonished Yang, the shorter girl listing off abuses as though they were items on a shopping list. "I'd never let them know it affected me. I'd save it all until I got home, then run to my room and hide. I guess Cardin got frustrated, because suddenly the bullying stopped, in favor of something more sinister." Weiss had to pause, swallowing down a sob and gripping tightly to her knees.

"There was a guy. A guy I kind of had a crush on. His name was Neptune, and he was tall, handsome, cute, and charming. God, I was so in love with him." Yang's expression soured, and she suppressed an annoyed huff. "Just as I was losing hope in going to the dance, Neptune asked me if I wanted to go with him. Of course I said yes, and when I went home that day my mother took me dress shopping." Tears were welling in Weiss' eyes, but by the set of her jaw Yang knew they wouldn't fall yet. "On the night of the dance, Neptune comes by and picks me up in his old, barely-held-together car, which was so romantic at the time, and drives me to the dance. Only we didn't go to the dance." Yang's head whipped around, a feeling in her chest and Weiss' increasingly unsteady voice telling her that nothing good was coming.

"He said we were meeting up with some of his friends for dinner first. We got out at the restaurant, and a huge group of our classmates were there, all dressed up like us. Then, from the back of the crowd, Cardin and his friends rush up and dump water on me." Yang had to literally sit on her hands to keep from throwing them around the crying girl. "And Neptune was laughing at me, laughing with Cardin and all the other kids as they took pictures of me freezing in my soaked, brand new dress. I ran into the restaurant and cried in the bathroom until my parents could pick me up. I faked being sick for the entire next week of school.

"My mother insisted I transfer after that. When I got here, I swore that I'd never let anyone get close enough to hurt me again. I built my wall of ice, of meanness, of attitude, and let anything someone threw at me slide off. The crying stopped. The hiding under the covers stopped. But then..." Her voice broke and her body shivered with sobs, Weiss covering her face with her hands. "But then this morning Emerald and Mercury cornered me and I felt it all coming back! I felt alone and small and helpless!" Weiss turned, tilting her head up at Yang for the first time since coming to the courtyard, and Yang saw that same deep fear and pain she'd seen earlier that morning.

"But then you stepped in and saved me!" Weiss whimpered, the tears she'd held back for so long streaming down her cheeks like stray raindrops. "No one's ever done that for me before." She turned away again and wiped her nose on her sleeve, soft hiccups interrupting her words. "And I don't deserve it, after the way I've treated you. I've only been mean to you, shouted at you, but you still saved me." Her body shuddered once, then was still, and she brushed away the lingering tears with a thin finger. "I haven't been fair to you, Yang, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I assumed you were like all the others, but you're not."

Weiss made to stand, but Yang reached out and grabbed her arm, gently tugging her back down to the bench. Sad blue eyes glanced at her, confused. "Can I say something?" Yang whispered, lightly rubbing her thumb across the back of Weiss' hand. At the other girl's nod, she said, "All those other people couldn't see you. They couldn't see past your scar." Weiss stiffened but didn't pull away. Deciding to avoid that subject, Yang continued, "The first day I saw you walking through the front doors, I was awestruck by how _beautiful_ you looked. I couldn't take my eyes off you. The first time I talked to you, and I heard your name, there was a... surge, in my heart." She sidled closer to Weiss, the latter's brows lowering in suspicion.

The same brows rose in surprise as Yang leaned over and kissed Weiss on the cheek, holding the contact for a long moment before tipping back. Yang smiled at the wide blue eyes, giggling quietly. "I think you're gorgeous, Weiss. I know you hate it, but I _love_ your scar. You wouldn't be _you_ without it, and I... I love _you_." The blue eyes searched her own, the thin pink lips parted open in shock. Yang hoped she was remembering to breathe. Her own heart and lungs had seemed to stop working, as surprised at her actions as Weiss appeared to be. There was a comfortable warmth spreading from her chest and through her body, an energetic lightness that made her feel weightless. "As long as I'm here, you won't have to worry about bullies."

Weiss turned away, staring out into the rain without actually seeing. Yang was still holding her hand, and looked away to hide her exploding blush. She looked back after a minute when the cold hand tightened around her fingers, just in time to receive a brief, but meaningful peck on the cheek. Her heart leaped in her chest, a wide, silly grin breaking across her face. Weiss was failing to hide her blush behind her hand, glancing sidelong at Yang before rolling her eyes and leaning over, planting her lips on the blonde's.

The rain seemed to applaud as Weiss and Yang kissed under the awning, eyes closed and fingers entwined.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Is it strange that Weiss makes me sadder than Ruby?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, with all its feels and stuff.

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	10. Imbalanced Hearts

**Disclaimer I: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Disclaimer II:** There are some allusions to mature content in this chapter.

**Author's Notes: **Unfortunately, my editor **Maple **is sick (again), but somehow he still managed to get this chapter back to me in a timely fashion.

* * *

Weiss stared at her phone, lying in her lap and hidden from the view of her history teacher, feigning taking notes. Her brows were furrowed in worry, her eyes glancing between the whiteboard and the inanimate device that sat on her thigh, anxiously waiting for a message. Any message. Had she said something wrong?

Yesterday, she had kissed Yang. It had felt warm and blissful, like standing in summer sunlight, and just thinking about it was enough to set her heart fluttering. The blonde had sent her an unending amount of text messages throughout the rest of the afternoon, talking about her day and the homework she didn't want to do and the Malachite twins' reactions when she flicked them off, and Weiss had _enjoyed _it. She hadn't at first; having her phone explode with notifications in the middle of a science test was not ideal, but slowly it began to feel good to talk to someone. Someone she knew wanted to talk to her _just_ to talk to her. It was a relief not to have to guard herself all the time anymore.

But, sometime late in the evening, the messages had stopped. She had been confused; maybe Yang's phone died? Maybe she'd gone to bed? A tiny, nagging thought had sent ice through her veins: What if this had all been a set-up, and Yang _was_ bullying her? After sending multiple inquiries, Weiss gave up and started her homework, hoping to find a message waiting for her in the morning. There hadn't been one.

The blank, black screen of her phone stared back at her, and Weiss wished that it would change, start glowing white with a notification from the blonde that would quell her doubts. She set her pencil on her desk and started typing a message of her own, her fingers tapping against the screen in rapid, practiced motions. "Ms. Schnee, would you please put that thing _away_ and pay attention to the lesson?" Weiss jolted up straight and snapped her hands over her phone, her eyes wide with surprise at the sound of Mr. Oobleck's fast-paced voice. "There we go, girl. Now please refrain from doing it again!"

"Sorry, Mr. Oobleck-"

"That's _Doctor_ Oobleck, young lady. Back to the lesson!" He whipped around with a squeak of his heel, readjusting his large, round glasses and taking a sip from his mug. "Now, who can tell me the major results of the Mistralian embargo? Mr. Arc! You look like you've been paying attention!"

Weiss relaxed as Oobleck started interrogating the unfortunate Jaune, opening her hands and searching the face of her phone for any new messages. There were none. Breathing a heavy sigh, she slumped over in her chair and resigned herself to copying notes, hoping Oobleck's endless droning wouldn't put her to sleep. She just wanted to know that Yang wasn't mad at her. She reopened the message she'd been typing, hovering her finger over send.

The deafening chime of the school's public address system nearly gave her a heart attack, the screeching beep silencing her teacher's lecture on Mistralian economics and drawing the entire classroom's attention to the loudspeaker set into the ceiling. "Weiss Schnee, please report to the principal's office. Weiss Schnee, to the principal's office." Vice Principal Goodwitch's voice echoed off the walls. Every face in the class turned to look at hers, a low wailing '_ooooooooooh_' rising from the back of the class. Her mouth hung open in shock, her cheeks glowing a dull red as she turned to Dr. Oobleck for instruction.

The green-haired teacher shrugged, careful not to spill any of his coffee. "Well then, Ms. Schnee, come by after school to pick up tonight's assignment. You'll have to copy the notes from one of your classmates. Be off, then." He zipped to the door, holding it open and nodding for her to leave.

Her mouth still half open, Weiss stood and collected her papers into her backpack, heaving it over her shoulder and pocketing her phone as she walked into the hall. Why was she being called to the principal's office? Had she done something wrong? Was it a family emergency? Thousands of confused thoughts swirled in her head as she strode down the hallway, her nerves rising as she neared the front of the school.

She gulped as she reached the door to the principal's office, a tall, menacing piece of rosewood without a window, decorated only with a faded motivational poster and a polished-silver handle. Just before her knuckles tapped against the varnished wood, the handle turned and the door opened, revealing the vice principal holding a clipboard. "Ah. Ms. Schnee. Very prompt." Ms. Goodwitch pushed her glasses further up her nose and held the door open for Weiss to enter, closing it gently behind her. The room felt heavy, as though the air had been thoroughly disciplined against moving, and smelled faintly of lavender. A wide desk dominated the room, bordered on three sides with towering bookcases overflowing with manila folders, a high-backed chair hiding behind two dust-free computer monitors. A potted plant wilted in the corner, its leaves yellowing from lack of sunlight. "This way, please." The vice principal beckoned with a tilt of her head, making sure Weiss was paying attention before stepping through a doorway into another office.

Following behind the older woman, Weiss looked around as she entered the back room, her heart still pounding fearfully in her chest. This office was larger, likely twice the size of the cramped outer room, with large windows facing out into the rain. Stacks of drawers lined one wall, two paintings hanging just above their tops, another obscured by a small refrigerator with a shelf above it holding up a microwave and coffeemaker. Along the third wall ran a long corner desk the same rich color as the door, covered with monitors and papers, behind which sat a thin man with bright gray hair and brown glasses, happily sipping from a steaming mug. Principal Ozpin set down his cup with a satisfied sigh, waving in the two women. "Thank you, Glynda. Weiss, please, come sit." He stood slightly out of his seat, gesturing to a comfy-looking chair that rested across from a relatively empty section of his desk.

Weiss whispered a polite 'Thanks', sitting and lowering her backpack to the ground. The room seemed to absorb her speech, the oppressive feeling of authority swallowing all sound. Ozpin shuffled some papers and moved them to another part of the table, resetting his glasses to the top of his nose and linking his fingers. "Now, Ms. Schnee," he intoned, fixing the white-haired girl with hard brown eyes, "you need to relax." He smiled, his lips pulling back and a twinkle of laughter shining in his eyes. Weiss audibly exhaled, but remained stiff. Ozpin licked his lips. "Ms. Schnee, you are not in trouble," This caused Weiss to sag in relief, sliding downward in her chair. The principal's smile grew. "I called you here because of your recent association with Yang Xiao Long."

A tightness gripped Weiss' chest, and she pushed herself up. "Y-Yes?" Why was that important? Was he going to warn her that Yang was a bully? Why did their relationship compel a visit to the principal's office? Had she made a mistake and confided in the wrong person? Did this have anything to do with-

"We received a call this morning," Ozpin interrupted her frightened thoughts, "from Yang's father, asking if her sister Ruby has been present in class either today or yesterday." He leaned back and sighed, his smile fading into a thoughtful frown. "I must admit that I am very sorry that I had to say no. You see," He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "he says that neither he nor Yang have heard from Ruby since Tuesday evening."

Weiss gasped, holding a hand to her mouth and leaning forward. "Really? Oh no!"

"Oh yes, I'm afraid." He gazed at his fingers, solemnly twiddling his thumbs before glancing back up. "So, Weiss, I have to ask if you have any idea where Ruby is. Can you think of any place she'd go besides her home? A friend's house perhaps?" His eyebrows raised, and he watched her eyes as they flicked around the desk.

If Weiss had guessed correctly, Ozpin was asking if Ruby was staying with her. "I can't think of anywhere. She's never talked to me about any of her friends."

Ozpin sighed and leaned back, dragging a hand across his clean-shaven face. "Hm." Weiss watched as his eyes glanced above her, and then he dipped his head, moving to stand. "Very well. Thank you for coming down, Ms. Schnee. I apologize for interrupting your education." He gestured to the door, a brief, joyless smile creasing his mouth. "Please return to your class."

Escorted out by an equally cheerless Goodwitch, Weiss stood motionless in the hallway as the heavy door closed behind her, her eyes staring straight ahead and her hands hanging limply by her sides. Her mind was on fire. Ruby was _missing_? She had just seen her two days ago! Where could she have gone? Was this why Yang had stopped texting her? Even though she knew the answer, she searched through her phone's contact list hoping to see Ruby's name. She grimaced and stomped when there wasn't even an entry under 'R', and slowly made her way back to Oobleck's class.

…

Slipping off her shoes as she closed the door behind her, she dropped her backpack on the floor and started toward the staircase, gnawing on her lip. "Hi honey!" She was suddenly squished between a pair of arms and a warm chest, her vision obscured by her mother's shoulder. "How was school today? How was _Yang_?" Her mother's voice was filled with excited glee, dripping with anticipation. The older woman held her daughter at arm's length, grinning and brushing Weiss' hair back. "Did you two do any-..." Her brows furrowed and the grin vanished. "What's the matter, dear?"

"Ruby is missing." Weiss whispered, keeping her eyes on the floor. "No one's seen her since Tuesday."

"Oh no!" Her mother clapped a hand to her mouth, taking a step back. "That's terrible! Who's Ruby? Is she another one of your friends?"

Weiss nodded. "She's Yang's sister. She came on the camping trip, and-"

"Then _WHAT_ are you doing here? Get in the car!" The older woman dashed away, leaving Weiss standing stunned, trying to reason through what just happened. Her mother reappeared, hopping on one foot as she tried to slide her shoes on, holding her wallet in her teeth. "What are you doing?" she gasped, spitting her wallet into her hand and glaring at her daughter. "Get ready to leave!"

"Where are we going?"

"You're going to give me directions to Yang's house. Honestly!" She rolled her eyes before haranguing Weiss some more, clapping her hands and urging 'Faster! Faster!' as if she were training a race horse.

Thirty minutes of driving through torrential rain in stressed silence found the pair of women standing on Yang's porch, protected from the downpour by a long, sloped roof with glass skylights that spilled wavering cloudy light across a pair of deck chairs. Weiss pressed the doorbell then stepped back, tapping her foot more in nervousness than in impatience. As an afterthought, she ran her hands through her hair, rearranging it so it lay more evenly. Half a minute later, there was a clicking noise as the latch was unlocked, and the door pulled away to reveal a tall man with wispy tan hair. His eyes, a familiar light purple, were half-lidded and dull, with deep shadows underneath. "Yes?" he asked, his voice sounding exhausted and frail.

At her mother's prodding, Weiss stepped forward. "Hello, Mr. Xiao Long. My name is Weiss Schnee, this is my mother," She gestured back with a practiced motion, then continued, "and we're here to-"

"Weiss?" a wobbly voice called from the back of the house. Slow footsteps preceded Yang, the normally lively blonde looking a mess. Her hair was frazzled and awry, and long wet streaks traced down her cheeks from red, puffy eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Weiss was saved from having to answer by a gentle push from her mother, Yang's father stepping aside to let the pair inside. "Why don't you two go chat while I talk with Mr. Xiao Long, hmm?" Weiss passed a grateful look over her shoulder as she followed Yang up the stairs.

Yang led her around the upper floor and into her room at the far end of the hall, falling onto her bed. Weiss stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, twisting her fingers in front of her stomach and looking around. She hadn't been in here on the 'date;' it was interesting to see what Yang decorated her room with. She shook her head clear; she wasn't here to hang out. "Yang," She whispered as she joined Yang on the bed, tentatively laying a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I know about Ruby. They called me, and Pyrrha and Nora, into the office to see if we knew where she was. Are... are you okay?"

Yang sniffled as she turned over, rising with a groan to sit beside Weiss. She rubbed her eyes before sighing and letting her hands drop into her lap, her shoulders and head drooping. "No..." She leaned over and rested her head on Weiss' shoulder, too deep in misery to notice the girl's sudden flush. "The police think she ran away from home."

"What? Why would she do that?"

Yang shrugged. "They say sometimes teenagers do that when they're depressed. Sure, Dad and I knew that she was sad, _maybe_ depressed, but why would she... without saying something to us first?" Weiss stroked her fingers through Yang's hair, the blonde nuzzling closer. "I know why she ran away." Tears leaked from her eyes onto Weiss' sweatshirt. "She ran away because I kept yelling at her! I kept screaming at her about _my _mistakes, and made her so sad she ran away!"

Weiss hugged the blonde, pulling her tightly against her chest and laying her head on top of Yang's. "No, that's not it, Yang. That _can't _be it." It was a struggle to keep her mind focused on Ruby and not the fragrant mop of yellow hair that tickled her chin, or the sun-tanned skin that brushed against her sides.

Yang threw her arms around Weiss', gripping her shirt in impotent fists, her body shivering with sobs as she cried against the white-haired girl's neck. "I just want her to come home. I just want her back." Yang croaked, her voice distorted by her grief. "Where are you Ruby? Please come home..."

* * *

A ceiling of dark gray rock greeted Ruby's slowly opening eyes, grimy tendrils of moisture crawling across its surface as rain leaked through cracks in the dried-mud waterproofing, the perfume of wet earth laying heavy in the air. She blinked away the remnants of her sleepiness, taking a moment to observe her surroundings. She was fully clothed, lying on top of a torn-up and ragged white sheet, underneath which was a cushioning layer of dry pine needles adding their musky, spicy accent to the room's aroma. A warm, heavy blanket the color of butter was draped over her body, pulled up to her neck and scratchy against her skin. Rolling onto her side, Ruby put her ear against her 'pillow,' which was a familiar red sweatshirt bunched up and stuffed under her head. The stone wall beside her was half covered with stacks upon stacks of books, piled high in uneven and wobbling heaps, their pages yellow, well-thumbed, and crinkled from use. Above the books, the rock was chipped and scratched, pockmarked with red-black old bloodstains. By her feet were her boots and a mountain of mismatched rags, dangling threads rubbing against her toes through a hole in her leggings.

Ruby pushed herself onto her other side, sighing and squinting into the relatively bright light that poured in through a curtain of dripping green moss, splaying soft black shadows against the hard rock. Her eyes went wide and she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a yelp of fear when she spotted a crouching figure at the mouth of the cave, the creature's large black ears upright and pointed outward. The beast still held her captive, probably waiting for its last meal to digest before devouring her. Staring in terrified fascination, Ruby watched as the monster lifted its hands to its mouth, the black-haired head bobbing as it feasted. She must be dessert, Ruby thought with surprising detachment.

There was nothing to do; the creature guarded the only exit, so Ruby settled back to await her death. It would've been nice to say goodbye to Yang and Dad, she thought as she leaned against the cold, stony wall, dirt and mud getting caught in her hair. Shuffling below her blanket, her elbow struck against the floor, jostling her shoulder. "Ah!" She cried as pain swelled in her arm, biting into her lip and clutching her arm to her chest. The sound of skin sliding across stone made her head jerk back to the cave's entrance, where two shining golden discs stared back at her.

Ruby's mouth flopped open and closed, an involuntary series of shivers shaking her body as she watched the monster rise to its feet, a menacing black silhouette against the illuminated green of the mossy drape, and start walking towards her, its feet gently depressing the carpet of needles. The blanket bucked as Ruby shoved herself away from the advancing figure, backing into a corner and trying to hide behind a stack of books that rose over her head. As the beast approached, and Ruby's eyes grew more accustomed to the dim light that spread through the cave, she inspected her would-be murderer.

The monster was barefoot, dressed only in a pair of frayed black shorts and a dilapidated black shirt, polka dots of pale skin showing through the numerous holes. In its right hand it carried the bleeding carcass of a squirrel, shreds of fur falling to leave a trail of fuzz that lead back to the front of the cave. The beast kneeled down across the sheet from her, the face contorted in worry as it rested its elbows on its knees and examined her quivering form. "Are you okay?" It asked, its blood-smeared mouth parting to reveal gleaming white fangs stained red. As an afterthought, it added, "Are you hungry?" then held out the corpse. When Ruby squirmed away and hid her face, the monster quickly tucked the squirrel behind its back, seeming embarrassed. "Sorry."

Ruby pushed herself as far into the corner and as far _away_ from the creature as she could, the pain in her shoulder forgotten as a fearful sweat drenched her skin. "W-What do you want?" Her voice was quiet and weak, almost inaudible over the echo of the rain outside.

"You're hurt..." A hand stretched toward her, but retreated when Ruby shrank away. "Sorry. Are you thirsty? Cold?" The monster searched the cave, picking up the blanket and holding it out to Ruby.

"_What do you want?!_" Ruby screamed with desperate horror, her voice breaking and going thin as she kicked at the offered blanket, her foot contacting the monster's fingers. The beast winced with pain, its eyebrows drawing down and the furry ears going flat as it pulled its hand to its chest. "What do you want?!"

"Sorry..." The creature pouted and peeked at its bruised fingers, settling back and crossing its legs. It glanced up at her, the ears remaining pressed tight against its head. "I just wanted to help you..."

"Leave me alone! Go away!" Tears broke from Ruby's eyes, rolling down her cheek as she sobbed and buried her face in her hands. "Go away!" She huddled in the corner, her knees tucked all the way in, and cried. "Go away! Go away! Go away!" Squeezing her eyes shut, she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head. "This is just a dream. This is just a dream. This is just a dream."

Without a sound, the monster clambered to its feet and trudged with heavy, regret-filled footsteps back to its perch by the hollow's entrance, plucking absently at the squirrel corpse. With a sigh of defeat, it tossed the body out into the rain, thumping its chin onto its wrist and sulking while the girl in the back of the cavern wailed.

…

Ruby cried until no more tears came and her body was too tired to shiver anymore, staring listlessly with red, puffy eyes at the gloomy outline of her captor, inert and unmoving by the den's mouth. Exhaustion, coupled with a grim curiosity, eroded down the cage of fear that silenced her tongue, and she called out, "What _are _you?" A black ear flicked up and towards her, and she flinched as the penetrating golden eyes transfixed her with their gaze. The monster's mouth quirked upwards, but it didn't respond. "Are you a werewolf?" Ruby asked, remembering Ren and Nora's bet. The former seemed to be the victor.

The monster touched a hand to its mouth as it giggled quietly, the lips spreading into a wider smile. It slowly swiveled to face her, its eyes glimmering with laughter. "No," It answered with a shake of its head, "I'm not a _werewolf_." It stood and started walking towards her, but paused when she cringed. "I'm... I'm a faunus."

"Oh." Staring at the ground, Ruby gave a little nod. "I don't know what that is."

The faunus smiled a sad smile which quickly shrank into a sunken, solemn frown. It padded to the edge of the blanket and sat on its knees, laying its hands in plain view on its thighs. "I think a werewolf is a close guess, but I don't transform. This is how I look all the time." It clawed nervously through its hair, glancing between the wall and Ruby's inspecting look. "He always said that humans were scared of us because we were different, but I don't think we're that different. I just have fuzzy ears on my head." The appendages wiggled, and the faunus smiled at Ruby's unsure giggle. "It's like if you could hear through your bow."

"My bow?" The growing grin dropped from Ruby's face, her eyes widening as she reached up and patted the top of her head, her heart seizing in her chest when she felt the soft, damp fabric. She screamed, frightening the faunus, ripping the bow out of her hair and throwing it away from her. It bounced off the wall and landed by the creature's foot, the beast raising a confused eyebrow.

"You don't like your bow? I thought it looked, um..." It swallowed whatever word it had been chewing on. "...good."

Ruby shuddered. "No! I hate it! It's not mine, it's _hers!_" She glared at the motionless black band, wishing it would disintegrate under her wrathful scowl. "She _made _me wear it! I hate it I hate it I hate it!"

"Who is 'she?'"

"Ms. Fall, my teacher! She makes me wear things, things she says look good on me, and then she-" Ruby slapped both hands over her mouth.

The faunus looked concerned. "What?"

Ruby violently shook her head, hugging her arms around her chest and hiding her face in the crook of an elbow. "No! I can't tell anyone! It'll get worse! She'll punish me!"

A gentle touch on her arm coaxed her head up, and her tearful silver eyes met kind, warm amber. It amazed her, how different those eyes looked compared to minutes before. "You can tell me, Strawberry Girl," The faunus whispered, "and no one else will know."

Ruby sniffled, breathed deep, then settled back against the wall and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, staring at her feet. There was a constant, but dull, ache in her shoulder. "She... she... she kisses me. And... touches me. Everywhere. She asks if it feels good, but it never does. It never feels good. She... she makes me get on the desk, naked, and then she..." A fresh stream of tears streaked across her skin, her voice clogged with sobs. "But sometimes _she_ gets on the desk, and... and she makes me... she makes me touch her or kiss her. She says things like 'It's so good, Ruby,' and 'You're so good at this, Ruby.'" Ruby rolled onto her side, covering her head with her arms. "I know it's wrong, I know what she's doing is... but if I try to leave or stop she _hits_ me! Look!" Thrusting out an arm and rolling back her sleeve, Ruby revealed a trail of dark purple bruises that wrapped across her skin from the bottom of her elbow up to her shoulder. "She says that if I tell anyone no one will believe me. Who would believe a stupid little kid like me over her? Nobody!"

"I believe you, Strawberry Girl." Ruby shied away from a soft touch on her side, but forced herself to relax when it came again. "I believe you. This woman is bad. Is that why you asked for help? Is that why you asked to go far away?"

"Y-Yeah..." Her fingers plucked at the hem of the blanket, pulling threads apart and dropping them into the needles. "I wanted to disappear. I wanted to forget about everything that she does to me."

"She won't find you here. He brought me here so that humans wouldn't find me. And no one has… but you, so I guess he was right."

Ruby sat up, no longer afraid of the dark-haired faunus that was kneeling beside her. The yellow eyes weren't cold, evil, or frightening; at the moment, they wandered the ceiling, occupied with thought. The claws that twisted a lock of black hair weren't dangerous. The fangs that gnawed anxiously on the faunus' lip weren't threatening. The faunus looked strikingly human. "Is this your home?"

The faunus nodded. "Yes. He and I stole it from a bear, a long time ago. It gives me a place to keep my books, and it keeps me dry!" It cast an annoyed scowl over its shoulder at the rain.

"He?"

It turned back to face her, it's eyebrows raised. They fell down into a frown, and the thin lips pinched tight. "He. Um, yes. He."

Ruby scooted closer. "Who is he? Is he like you?"

"Yes. No. Yes." The faunus tilted its head toward the ground and traced a finger through the needles in a circle. Its voice was quiet as it said, "You wouldn't like him. Well, he wouldn't like _you_. He didn't like humans." Ruby watched silently, hugging her knees to her chest. "He was nice to me though. He gave me food and clothes, and taught me. He gave me my first book." It pointed to a novel crammed into the middle of one of the stacks, Ruby unable to determine exactly which. "I think about him a lot. About how he would feel."

"What happened to him?"

It glanced up, the fire burning in its eyes reigniting a knot of fear in Ruby's chest. "Humans. They caught him stealing, and shot him. He was trying to get me a coat." It wiped its eyes before the tears could fully form, the fire dying out into an ocean of sadness. "I miss him."

"I'm sorry." Ruby mumbled into her sleeve. "What was his name?"

"Adam." The faunus sniffled, glanced up, sighed, then looked at Ruby. "What's yours, Strawberry Girl?"

"I'm Ruby." She shifted onto her knees, grunting through the uncomfortable stress on her shoulder, and held out a hand. The faunus stretched out its own, and the two shook. Its hand was warm and soft, and felt as menacing as a teddy bear.

"That's a pretty name, Ruby." It smiled, happy wrinkles creasing by its eyes.

Ruby couldn't help smiling back. "Thanks! What's yours?" The faunus blushed, drawing its hand back and brushing it through its hair.

"I'm... I'm Blake."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **If everything goes according to plan, the story could end as soon as next chapter. There _will_ be an epilogue, so that means at least two more updates before it's all done. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

P.S. - Putting this chapter out late in the day. Observing the effect of time of release on viewer count.

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	11. Moonlight

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Notes: **Naturally, nothing went according to plan. This is not the final chapter. That should be done... eventually.

* * *

A chill, stormy gust blew into the cave, swinging the mossy drape open and letting in the pale silver light of a waxing Spring moon, shining like a white eyeball through the lumbering black clouds that drifted, camouflaged, across night's dark star-scape, pelting the forest with their frigid tears. The freezing wind carried the smell of wet earth and the sounds of all the nocturnal creatures scurrying through the underbrush, brushing its ghostly fingers through Ruby's reddish hair and stirring her from her uneasy dreams.

Ruby groaned and rolled onto her back, lifting her head from the gray sweatshirt that served as her pillow and driving her elbow against the cold, rocky floor to push herself up. The loose pages of paperback books fluttered noisily in the breeze as she drew back the heavy quilt that rested across her chest, folding it to lay delicately over her knees. She slid out from under the thick sheet, grunting as she put just enough pressure on her shoulder to shift the recovering muscles, and stood, feeling the dry crunch of pine needles beneath her toes. Clapping her arms over her chest to combat the piercing chill of midnight, Ruby started cautiously toward the hollow's mouth, straining her eyes to see the ground through the darkness.

Quiet lay over the cave like an intangible sheet, the calm drowsiness of night dampening and discouraging all the sounds that normally boomed during the day. No, she thought, it was more than that. There was a strangeness to the quiet, an absence of something that should be there. Since she had first woken up in Blake's den, the clatter of the rain had echoed and rattled off the hard stone walls, but now all she heard was the chirrups of crickets hopping across the forest floor and the hooting of an owl as it hunted for prey. After almost five days straight, the rain had stopped.

Running her fingers along the sides of the cave to help keep her balance, Ruby continued meandering toward the outside, moving her feet in small, careful steps lest she step on something. Or someone, she realized as she had to suddenly stop herself before her toes jammed into Blake's back, the dark-haired faunus lying on her side facing the forest. Ruby stood silent over the sleeping creature by her feet, rubbing her hands across her arms to repel the deepening cold. Its – Her – white skin glowed in the moon's luminescence, the light erasing any marring streaks of dirt and creating a beautiful contrast with Blake's obsidian hair. The girl's light-pink lips were parted as she slept, tiny puffs of air gently swinging the tentacle of black hair that lay across her mouth. The fuzzy ears, invisible but for the white outline of light that caressed their edges, were relaxed to the side, the fur waving as a breath of cold air wafted into the cave.

It would not be impossible, Ruby pondered as she stood over the snoozing faunus, for her to leave in the night. She could walk out through the curtain of moss and into the woods and escape from the forest's monster. She could find a road and follow it until someone found her, and then she'd be home within a day. She could be back with Yang and Dad and Weiss and Pyrrha and Nora and-...

A sinking feeling appeared in her gut, and she dismissed _that_ thought with a shake of her head. It was too late at night to have thoughts like _that_, too far away from home to be thinking about _her_. Too close to turning this dream into a nightmare.

Was this a dream? She was lost in the woods, trapped and injured in a cave with a mysterious creature, and separated from her family and friends. Is this _really_ what she had wanted when she asked to go 'far away?' Yes, she could journey into the night and the sprawling forest and _maybe_ she'd find her way home, but she could also maybe starve to death. No, she was better off staying with Blake.

The faunus was kind, caring and sweet. After they had introduced themselves, they had talked the day away. Ruby smiled at the memory of Blake happily discussing each of her favorite books, pulling out various small novels at random. It was amazing that she was able to remember where each one was among the enormous stacks. She had listened intently as Ruby had told her about Yang and Weiss and their romantic troubles, comforting her when she explained her sister's angry outbursts. Her touch had been... soft, and... soothing. Blake had left at sunset, leaving Ruby in the company of a long book of fairy tales, returning with an armful of gathered food. They had feasted on wild mushrooms and large, juicy blackberries.

Ruby's attention was drawn from the past and her smile disappeared as a clacking noise bubbled from the girl at her feet. Blake's body shook on the floor, rapid, breathy pants coming from her mouth as her arms and legs retreated inwards for warmth. Her teeth, the source for the odd noise, were chattering rapidly, overpowering the trill of the crickets in the woods, and the dark brows were drawn down into a distressed frown. The furry ears dropped flat, hidden amongst the wavy hair.

"Oh no!" Ruby whispered into her hands as she knelt beside the quivering faunus. "Blake?" She prodded gently at a trembling shoulder, but her light touches were not enough to rouse the shivering girl. "Blake?" she asked, pushing a little harder.

Yellow eyes flashed open and whipped to Ruby. With a guttural, animalistic snarl, Blake shoved her body off the ground and threw herself at the small girl, tackling her to the rough, stony floor. Pure power coursed through the faunus' body as she kneeled on Ruby's chest, rippling, fibrous bundles of muscle bulging along her arms. Her mouthful of exposed fangs spread inches from Ruby's face in an enraged grimace, long strands of saliva slowly extending down to pool on her cheek. Hot breath stung her nostrils, smelling of blood and twisted fury. Sharp, pointed claws pressed into Ruby's neck as she stared, surprised, her eyes locked to the narrow black circles in the center of Blake's eyes.

The swift pulse of fear thundered in her temples as the vice-like grip on her throat began to squeeze tighter, hot points of pain burning on her neck. She struggled against the heavy body lying on top of her, but her weak thrashing couldn't dislodge the growling faunus. The yellow eyes blazed into hers; cold, hungry, _angry_. "Blake?" Her voice was garbled and choked, restricted by the tense fingers enclosed over her throat. She wrapped her hands around Blake's wrist, tugging at her hands. Sweat beaded on her forehead as an instinctive fear tightened in her chest. "Bla-ke!"

The faunus blinked, the golden disks losing their feral rage and widening into shocked, worried rings. The claws jerked free from around Ruby's neck, drifting to Blake's sides as the younger girl coughed and sat up, taking deep breaths. "Ruby! I-!" Blake covered her face and turned away, ashamed, her chest heaving with shaky gasps. "I-... I don't... I'm sorry!" Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked in horror at her fingers. Drops of blood dripped from her nails across her knuckles, the pale skin stained red. "I didn't mean-" She leapt to her feet, backing away and shaking her head. "I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to..."

Ruby stared wide-eyed at the cowering faunus, drawing her fingers across her throat and gulping when she felt the sticky wetness. She sat heavily, sighing and holding a hand to her chest as her heartbeat began to slow back to normal. "I... I'm okay. It's okay, Blake." Was it? Was she okay? Blake had just _attacked _her! The eyes had been so familiar...

Blake fell to her knees beside her, glistening tears rolling down her face, her chin crinkled with approaching sobs. She threw her hands around Ruby, pulling her into a tight, warm embrace. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't... I shouldn't have..." Blake wailed against her back, squeezing harder, crying too loudly to hear Ruby's squeak of pain as the hug jostled her shoulder. "I'm... I'm not used to someone else... being..."

Ruby wiggled a hand between herself and the sniffling creature, pushing gently until Blake finally released her. They sat still for a moment, Ruby slowly regaining her breath while Blake controlled her sputtering apologies and wiped her eyes. "I wanted to wake you up. You were... you were shivering." She maneuvered to her knees, reaching out and picking up Blake's hand, wiping away her blood and rubbing her thumb comfortingly across the palm, keeping a firm grip when Blake tried to pull away. "I... I don't mind sharing the blanket..."

Blake blinked, and after a moment whispered a quiet "Oh." The darkness hid her blush, but not her ears, which rose from against her head and locked to the small girl with silver eyes. "Oh."

Nodding and giving the faunus a thin smile, Ruby stood and pulled her along by the hand to the thick sheet, leaning over to pull it aside and allow them both under. Ruby snuggled beneath the warm blanket, whispering assurances until Blake slowly wriggled down beside her.

"But... what if..."

Ruby touched a slender finger to Blake's lips, smiling at the concern that dwelt deep in the amber eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not scared." Really? Yes. You're not _her_. You're nothing like _her_. _She _is cold and evil, _you_ are... soft and soothing. Ruby spread the gray sweatshirt so neither of them would be resting their heads on the hard stone, sighing as she let her body relax into the lumpy mattress of pine needles. Flicking her eyes nervously between Ruby's face and her own hands, Blake gulped and lay down, her eyes staring at bright silver.

The cave was plunged into darkness as a cloud obscured the moon, the patter-patter of rain beginning to return to the forest outside. Ruby was surrounded by warmth, the soft blanket pulled up to her chin and protecting her from the cold wind that blew into the den. She sighed and rolled onto her side, giggling at the feeling of hot, tickling breath on the back of her neck. A hum buzzed in the back of her throat as an arm tenderly draped itself over her body and she felt a nose poke into her hair.

"Blake?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"But I-"

"Thank you. I lo-... like this. I feel warm and... safe."

"Oh."

"Goodnight, Blake."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I just wanted a quick moment to expand on Ruby and Blake. I hope you enjoyed it.

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	12. Horror

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Notes:** It's back! I guess it wasn't gone for very long, but I haven't put out a chapter in over three weeks, which is the longest break I've had since I started writing. Thank you to everyone for the support and the kind words.

This chapter would not have been possible without the help of my editor, **MapleLeafLink**.

Enjoy.

* * *

Wet lines of rain striped down the window, wriggling shadows squirming across the floor as the dim light that filtered through the storm clouds shafted into Weiss' room. Her silken white hair hung over the side of her bed as she lay on her back, her phone raised above her head and her eyes locked to the blank screen. A tired, heavy sigh whispered from her lips as she lowered her arm back to her side, her thin fingers wrapped tightly around the inactive device. The dull echo of a ringing phone wafted through the open door from the floor below, and Weiss listened as her mother's wandering footsteps ambled towards the kitchen. Despairing blue eyes turned to the window as another sigh swept from her mouth, watching the rain streak across the glass like nature's cold tears.

School had been... empty today. The cafeteria, although full of students, had felt muted and despondent, Weiss' lonely table occupied only by Pyrrha, Nora, and herself. Even the short ginger had been subdued, munching on her hotdog without making any rowdy comment to Weiss. The presences of a mane of blonde hair and a pair of silver eyes were sorely missing. Life felt... gray, and was made all the worse by the sheer _powerlessness_ of it all. Ruby was missing and Yang was a heartbroken, self-hating mess, and Weiss couldn't help either of them. The rumor mill had sprouted several disgusting heads: Ruby had been kidnapped and was trapped in a sex dungeon; Ruby was in the hospital and about to give birth; Ruby had witnessed a hit by the mob and the whole Xiao Long family was being moved to witness protection. It all made Weiss sick. A girl was missing, afraid and possibly hurt, and her classmates were making up such _bullshit_. As if they knew-

"Weiss?" Her mother's voice called from the bottom of the stairs. "Weiss? Can you come here?" Blinking away her distressed thoughts and lifting her chin from the sheets, Weiss pushed herself off her bed and walked toward her door.

_~Feedle feedle. Feedle feedle~_

Weiss' head whipped around as she heard her phone start ringing on her bed, the screen glowing bright amongst the covers' folds and wrinkles, her heart leaping into her throat as she lunged back and scooped up the buzzing device. Quickly checking the screen, she pressed 'Answer' and held the phone to her ear, ignoring her mother's repeated calls. "Yang? Hello?" She prayed for good news.

"Weiss! They found her!" The blonde's voice sounded revitalized, refreshed by new-found hope. "I mean, they _think_ they found her, but it's got to be her! They said that-"

"Weiss! Didn't you hear me calling you?" A hand fell onto Weiss' shoulder, spinning her around to face her mother's frustrated frown.

Muffled excitement babbled from the phone as Weiss jumped forward and hugged her mother. "Mom! They found her!" Tears of joy swelled at the edges of her eyes as she smiled upwards. "They found Ruby!"

"I know! That's why I was yelling for you!" Her mother pushed her away and knelt down, looking her in the eye. "Yang's father just called us. He says the police are putting together a search party by Mountain Glenn, and I think we should go." At her daughter's vigorous nodding, she rose to her feet and made for the door. "Get your shoes and your umbrella, and meet me in the car! I have to go talk to your father."

Weiss clapped the phone back to her ear as she ran across her room, hopping on one foot as she tried to slip on her boots. "Yang? Yang! We're coming to help! I'll meet you at Mountain Glenn! Call Pyrrha and Nora too!"

**…**

Fat drops exploded off the side of the car as Weiss shoved the door open, covering her head with her umbrella as she stepped into the rain. The fierce mountain wind cut through her coat like a knife through paper, prompting her to raise her zipper and pull her arms in closer. Dozens, if not hundreds, of cars were crowded around the narrow exit ramp, the glaring headlights creating flickering sparks as the rain was caught in the glowing beams. The chatter of water crashing into gravel was overpowered by the shouts and calls of the massive assembly of people weaving their way between the vehicles toward a flashing firetruck where police officers were handing out flashlights and radios.

Weiss made her way through the swarming press of people to a tall blonde girl standing underneath a yellow umbrella, tapping her on the shoulder to gain her attention. "Weiss!" Yang shouted, lowering her umbrella to give the shorter girl a one-handed hug. Behind her, Pyrrha and Nora smiled in welcome, dressed in their jackets and boots. Neither looked as sad as they had at school, their hopes raised at the prospect of finding their lost friend, but bags still lay under Nora's eyes, and Pyrrha's smile was obviously forced.

It saddened Weiss to notice that Yang's eyes were still puffy and red, and her mouth was turned down in a guilty and worried frown, but she put on a smile to try and reassure the blonde. "Hi, Yang. How are you holding up? Are you doing okay?"

Yang's expression fell further, opening her mouth to speak but she was interrupted by a smooth, baritone voice booming through the storm from a megaphone. "Everyone, if you'd all gather up at the front by me." Everyone's head turned toward the source of the voice, a tall police officer with white-streaked black hair standing stiffly atop a squadcar. Weiss could see Principal Ozpin and Vice Principal Goodwitch, along with other Beacon teachers, among the search party. "Thank you for your attention. I am Sergeant James Ironwood, and I am leading this search for Ms., uh, Ruby Rose." He lowered the megaphone and cleared his throat, holding onto his hat as another strong gust tore through the gathered group. "Two days ago the local gas station caught security camera footage of a girl in a red sweatshirt stealing an emergency blanket and a first-aid kit. After seeing the missing persons report, the manager contacted the Vale police department, believing it to be Ms. Rose. After discussing it with her father," Ironwood glanced at Yang's dad, nodding, "it was decided that the best course of action was to immediately form a search party. We are going to split up into groups of five or six and spread out through the forest. You have all been given a radio to be used should you find evidence of Ms. Rose. Would you please tune it to channel two-point-six now. Thank you."

When he once again held everyone's attention, he continued, "Ms. Rose is likely injured and lost. It is imperative we find her as soon as possible and get her medical attention." Ironwood set down the megaphone, but after a moment picked it up again. "One more thing, before we set out. These woods are _dangerous_. There is a long ravine that becomes a deadly river after heavy storms such as we've been having. Four hikers have already died this year. Please use _extreme _caution." He stepped off the car and tossed the megaphone into the front seat, then straightened and clapped his hands over his head. "Alright everyone, time to split up and go!"

The giant mass of people shifted, clumps separating and trudging into the forest, their flashlights tracing shakily over the ground as they disappeared into the trees. Weiss stayed close to Yang as their group, with Pyrrha and Nora in tow, pressed into the woods. Something... _off_ tickled the back of her mind. Sidling next to the blonde, she looked up into the worried purple eyes. "Yang," she whispered, gnawing on her lips, "didn't Ruby _lose_ her red sweatshirt?"

Yang stopped dead, frowning at the ground in thought. "Yeah..." she said, stepping to the side as Pyrrha and Nora passed the two talking girls. She glanced at Weiss. "But then..."

"Who was the girl in the gas station?" After a very long moment, Yang shook her head and shrugged, following after the rest of their group. Before Weiss joined her, screeching brakes made her look back at the road, choked with cars, where a new pair of headlights winked out. Squinting through the rain, Weiss watched as the door opened and a tall woman with wavy black hair clambered out, hurrying to join the search party. "What is _she _doing here?" she whispered to herself as she chased after Yang, mud splashing onto her boots. The forest was creepy and foreboding, the clattering branches overhead sounding like sinister laughter as the girls pushed into the darkness.

* * *

Alone in the cave, cuddled into the drier corner with the blanket laying over her legs and a headrest made of thick paperbacks cushioned by the hood of her red sweatshirt, Ruby licked her thumb and turned another page of the book of fairy tales Blake had given her yesterday. She was about halfway through, having little work to do thanks to her injured shoulder and Blake's insistence that she allow herself to be cared for. The faunus had looked so... cute, settling her into the back of the den and bringing her books and food and blankets, watching her with those warm amber eyes and trying to sneak quick peeks over her shoulder. Ruby was happy to pretend that she didn't notice, keeping her smiles and giggles to herself.

Sighing, she set the book upturned on her lap, linking her fingers and resting her hands on her chest. The damp evening air was cool and fresh as it drifted into the cave, the mossy curtain swinging gently in the soft breeze, the sound of the dwindling rain bouncing off the walls like dying applause. Breathing deep, Ruby pushed herself to her feet, groaning as the muscles in her shoulder strained, and padded across the carpet of needles until she stood at the cave's mouth, leaning against the rock and pushing the moss aside to look out into the forest. Dark gray clouds covered the sky like a satin sheet, dropping crystal-clear rain onto leafy green boughs, but on the western horizon, between tree trunks, a shining, glimmering sunset glowed gold. "Why can't I stay here forever?" She asked the darkening woods in a hushed, thoughtful whisper, listening as the night's scurrying creatures crept out from their underground burrows and started hunting through the brush for seeds and insects.

The forest, like her host, was a dream; a dream she had dreamt for months. One where she was alone and safe, free to live however she wanted without being afraid of... _that_, and where she could forget about the past. But like any dream, it was imperfect; where was her sister? Or her father? Or her friends? What dream was complete without the people she loved? Ruby loosed a wistful sigh and turned back into the den, letting the moss sway back into place over the cave's entrance as the rain finally slowed to a stop, the distant '_boom_'s of thunder growing fainter as they were replaced by birds' calls and crickets' chirps.

Ruby was bent over, her fingers just catching the edge of the blanket, when she heard slow footsteps approaching the stony hollow; squishy, clomping feet struggling through the slippery mud. "Blake?" Her voice echoed off the rock, and the footsteps stopped. "Blake?" Ruby called again, straightening and walking back to the entrance. "Are you back?" A pale hand slid through the wet curtain of moss, shifting it to the side. "Did you-" Her voice died in her throat and her eyes widened in terror as a head poked into the cave, long tendrils of wavy black hair framing cold, evil yellow eyes that locked to Ruby.

Ms. Fall finished pulling herself into the den, a smile growing on her face as she lowered her dripping hood. "There you are, Ruby. Thank God I found you first..." She stretched out a hand, stepping closer to Ruby. "Come on, it's time to go back."

"NO!" Ruby's blood was ice in her veins, her entire body frozen in horror. When Ms. Fall took another step, Ruby screamed and jerked away, slipping on the dry needles and crashing to the floor. She howled as her elbow struck the hard rock, sending spears of pain through her shoulder. "I, I, I-!" She crawled on her knees towards the back of the cave, her hands and eyes searching the dim hollow. "I still have it! I still have it! It's here, I know it's here!" Her breath was shallow and fast, her throat dry as she reached the blanket, digging through a mound of books and rags until she pulled out a long strip of black cloth, holding it out for the older woman to see. "See! I have it! D-Don't punish me!" Ruby's hands shook as she tried to tie the bow back into her hair, pitiful, frightened whimpers leaking from her mouth.

Ms. Fall rolled her eyes, snatching Ruby's wrist and hauling her forcefully to her feet. "Get up! It's time to go back!" She slapped the bow out of the young girl's hand, and it fluttered airily to the floor. "Don't worry about that, it's not important anymore! Stop crying!" She started toward the forest, dragging Ruby along by the arm, the young girl sobbing and screaming as she was pulled across the needles and rocky floor. Groaning, Ms. Fall stopped and gripped Ruby by the shoulders, heaving the small girl up and making sure she was standing on both feet before clapping her hands to Ruby's cheeks and wiping away a tear. "Ruby? Ruby! Look at me!" Ruby's eyes were shut tight, her face turned away from the glaring yellow eyes while her whole body trembled, her arms clutched to her chest. "We're going back, we're going home. And when they ask about it, you're not going to say anything, okay? Okay? A good girl wouldn't say anything, okay? So be a good girl. You're a good girl, right?" Ruby nodded, sniffling, unable to match the crazed yellow eyes. "Good. Let's go."

The older woman's grip around Ruby's wrist was stronger than iron as she tugged the blubbering girl into the forest; the dark woods had grown silent, the air lying still in the wake of the raging storm, the only noises being the plopping drips of water droplets falling from high branches and Ruby's gasping cries as she was dragged between moist trunks and over tangled roots. It was almost as if the critters that had earlier been overjoyed at the departing storm were... hiding. Ruby's breath puffed gray in front of her mouth as the pair trudged across the underbrush, Ms. Fall leading the way through the eery groves, her nose wrinkling at the pungent stench of wet rot and mold that was beginning to replace the freshness of the past rain. Her dream had turned back into a nightmare; _She _was back. _That_ was back.

"We've missed you at school, Ruby." Ms. Fall said over her shoulder, her head twisting as she searched for the fastest path out of the woods, "When I heard you were missing, I was heartbroken. I rushed over as soon as I heard the news. When this is all over, I'll be so happy you have you back in class. You have a lot of catching up to-"

A blood-chilling howl erupted from far behind them, sending dozens of hidden birds bursting from the boughs over the pair's heads, squawking and shrieking as they tore away into the night. The cry was sad, frightened, and undeniably enraged. Both women stopped in their tracks, turning to face the direction of the wail; Ms. Fall's grip tightened, her jaw clamping shut in nervous fear.

"What the hell was _that_?"

Ruby smiled through her sobs, her silver eyes searching between the trees for a familiar pair of furry ears. "That was Blake."

Yellow eyes glanced at her, confused. "Who?"

"She's coming to get me."

Ruby was suddenly tugged away, Ms. Fall's nails biting into her skin, and she stumbled through the mud to keep her balance. "Not if I can help it..." the older woman growled, ignoring Ruby's whimpered protests as she forced the young girl along by her wrist.

"No! No! Blake!" Ruby's screech echoed through the woods, "BLAKE!"

They burst from the trees and entered a small clearing, waving blades of tall grass catching the silver light of the rising moon, their shadows stretched out into loping, alien figures. The clearing was cut in half by a raging, twisting river that snaked away into the deep forest, roaring waves smashing against the shore and cascading bright flashes of white spray onto the shore as the water shoved at persistent rocks, crossed only by a rickety wooden footbridge dampened and slick with rain.

Ruby struggled in Ms. Fall's grasp, jerking her arm to try and free herself, but the teacher's fingers were inflexible; rigid, fleshy bands that pressed into Ruby's skin with a determined agenda. "Let's GO, Ruby! We need to get you home!" The smaller girl pulled with all her strength in the opposite direction of the bridge, digging her heels into the slippery grass and resisting Ms. Fall's pull. "Come, NOW!"

A low, threatening growl crept from the edge of the trees, a malevolent hiss that made the hair on the back of Ruby's neck rise. "Let. Her. Go." A black figure slunk into the moonlight, narrow yellow eyes glowing in the night's darkness, a dangling strip of black fabric clutched in its hand.

Ms. Fall shrieked and flung her hands back in fright, dropping Ruby into the ground. "_What_ in heaven's name is-"

"Blake!" Ruby called from the ground, tears, of pain; of fear; of joy; streaming across her cheeks. She was too relieved to feel the pain in her shoulder as she pushed herself up and started running to the faunus. "Bla-ACK!"

Cold fingers snatched a bundle of her hair, hauling her head back toward her teacher, her face contorting at the intense pain. "I don't know who – or what – you are, but this girl is coming with me." There was a soft sliding noise as Ms. Fall removed a short, thin knife that had been hidden in her coat, touching the edge lightly to Ruby's heaving throat. "So back off, you _creature_." She began to walk backwards, away from the strange creature and toward the dilapidated bridge, holding tight to Ruby's head as the young girl stared wide-eyed, gasping for breath. "Come, Ruby, we're going back."

One fuzzy ear flicked with irritation at 'creature', but the deadly yellow eyes continued to stare with unalloyed hatred at the dark-haired woman, never leaving their evil partners. Blake took a step forward, and when she was uncontested, took another. Ruby could feel Ms. Fall's pounding heartbeat, could hear the rapid breaths. "Let. Her. Go." Venom laced Blake's words as she snarled at the teacher, taking another step.

Ms. Fall removed the knife from Ruby's throat and aimed it at the faunus. "I said _back off_!" Ruby made her move while she had the chance, grunting as she rammed her elbow into her captor's stomach with as much force as she could muster. Ms. Fall's breath exploded from her lips, and the hand that was holding onto Ruby flew to her gut as she doubled over. "Fuck..! You little bitch!" she gasped.

"Run Ruby!" Ruby heard Blake scream. She took off, sprinting toward the bridge, her blood thudding in her ears. Just as her foot touched the first rotten wooden plank, she heard Blake yell, "No! Not on the bridge!"

The warning came too late; Ruby's weight fell onto the wood and it snapped in half, her leg plunging into the cold, rushing water up to her thigh, the shattered splinters gouging her skin through her ripped tights. "Aaaugh!"

"Ruby!"

Water was streaming over the bridge as it sank under Ruby's added weight, freezing waves smashing into her and washing over her chest and face. It was hard to breathe; water kept pouring into her nose and mouth. "Blake! Help!" She watched as the faunus dashed towards the river, the glowing eyes losing their anger in exchange for panicked fear. Then she saw the steely glitter. "LOOK OUT!"

Blake howled as the knife pierced into her back, a heart-breaking wail of agony that ripped through the forest, Ms. Fall stepping away from the faunus with an insane smile plastered onto her face. Blake fell to her knees, her teeth clenched tight to resist the pain, dark red drops of blood looking black in the bare light as they fell into the grass. She raised her head, meeting Ruby's worried gaze, and the young redhead was startled by the change in their depths; feral fury boiled behind glaring golden discs, reminding Ruby of when Blake had attacked her the night before.

The eyes of a beast. The eyes of a monster.

Ms. Fall smirked as she strode around the panting faunus, taking slow steps toward the river, kneeling by its edge to face Ruby. "You know," She plucked pieces of grass and dumped them in the raging water. "when I'd heard you'd been found I was terrified. I thought 'She's going to tell them all! She's going to say everything!', and I was scared. I had to get to you first, to stop you from saying anything. But now," She stood and stepped to the side of the bridge, pushing her toe against one of the two tethers. "Now I think maybe it's better if they just find your _body_." She kicked the decrepit rope free, the others straining to hold up the bridge against the river's unyielding force. Ruby was plunged below the surface, flailing her arms to try and keep her head above water. "Poor Ruby Rose. She ran away from home and then drowned in the river. What a sad story..." Ms. Fall's haunting grin shone in the moonlight as she moved to the second tether.

A horrifying screech clove the air, an anguished scream of pain, loss, and rage, drawing Ms. Fall's attention away and sparing the stranded Ruby a few seconds before she was doomed to a watery grave. Blake stood hunched over, the knife still protruding from her back, her lips spread to reveal long white fangs, her arms bulging with tensed muscles as her hands curled into vicious hooks by her sides. She tore across the clearing at Ms. Fall, and before the dark-haired teacher could react, slashed her claws across the woman's face, scratching long cuts into the pale skin. Ms. Fall screamed, throwing her hands up to defend herself from the sudden onslaught of sharp nails, but Blake smacked them away. Ruby watched as the faunus ripped deep gashes along Ms. Fall's arms, head, and chest, large sprays of blood flying from Blake's hands as she threw them again and again into the older woman. Terrifying squealing and angry, animalistic grunts echoed through the woods.

With one final punch, Blake knocked Ms. Fall off-balance, and she stumbled backwards toward the river, gasping and crying in pain. Her boot slipped on the drenched embankment, her bloody arms whirling as she fought for her footing, until after a heartbeat she fell into the water with a splashy '_plop_' that was drowned out by the raging stream. Blake stood on the shore, her face and arms smeared with blood, her shoulders rising and falling as she caught her breath. Despite her predicament, Ruby felt herself relax slightly; the torture was gone, the nightmare was over. "Blak-!" Her cry for help was cut off by her sweatshirt tightening around her throat. A weight pulled on her hood, dragging her under the surface and putting an intense strain on her trapped leg. When she bobbed above the water, she could see a red-streaked hand desperately clutching onto her sweater's hood; Ms. Fall was going to drown them both.

"Ruby!" Blake cried from the shore, "RUBY!" She threw herself onto the ground, stretching out her arm for the young girl to grab. "Take my hand! Ruby!"

She reached. She reached and screamed and prayed and hoped, but she couldn't find Blake's fingers. The three remaining tethers broke under the burden of two bodies and the water's strength, the wooden footbridge tumbling into the river and taking the women with it. Ruby's mouth and nose filled with water as she sank beneath the surface and was carried away by the current, surrounded by the dark and the cold.

She was going to die.

She'd miss life. She'd miss her dad. She'd miss her sister. She'd miss her friends. She'd miss Blake.

She'd miss Blake a lot.

* * *

Although the rain had ended, droplets still fell from high above to splatter against Weiss' head as she traversed through the tangled undergrowth of the forest, her hands clammy and white with cold as they held tight to her flashlight. Over the sounds of chirping birds and bickering crickets was the sludgy '_squish_' of her and her friends' boots as they slogged along in the mud, their shining beams of light pacing across the ground in search of any sign of a young girl fond of a red sweatshirt. Every few seconds she could hear another search party's loud cry of 'Ruby!', and added her own, her voice screeching through the woods. Her nerves were starting to devour her earlier hopes; they had been out here for hours, covered miles of forest, and still there hadn't been a single hint of Ruby. Was she even here? Was she even still alive?

She shook such depressing thoughts out of her head, before her heart broke entirely, and focused on the search, jogging through the sucking mud until she stood next to Yang. The blonde had barely said a word since they set out, only yelling out her sister's name, and Weiss could only imagine what the lack of results was doing to the poor girl. She wished she could help, offer some comfort or reassurance, before she wound up losing two friends tonight. Looking up and watching as the scared purple eyes peered into the dark trees, Weiss sighed and whispered, "Yang? How are you holding up?"

Yang blinked, sighing herself, her lips thinning into a wobbly frown. "Not great, Weiss. I... I..." She trailed off, coming to a stop and glaring at the ground while cocking an ear.

"Yang? What is-"

"Shh!" The blonde waved 'Quiet!' at her friend, turning her head and cupping a hand to her ear. "There it is again! Do you hear that?" When Weiss shook her head, Yang shouted to Pyrrha, "Pyrrha! Nora! Either of you hear that?"

"Hear what?" the redhead called back.

Yang suddenly whipped her head around, staring intently into the distance. "It's Ruby!" She charged off in a direction tangential to their original path, her flashlight's beam flying across the ground in front of her as she sped away from the search party.

"What? Yang! Wait!" Weiss gestured for Pyrrha and Nora to follow her as she chased after the blonde, all her worries forgotten as excited hope and adrenaline rushed through her body. "Yang!"

The four girls thundered through the woods, Yang in the lead, their panting breath misting in front of their faces as they rushed between the trees. Slowly, Weiss could hear what she suspected Yang had heard, a faint voice in the distance screaming "Help!" The calls were irregular, sometimes every few seconds and other times several minutes passed between shouts. The crashing sound of fast water was also growing louder, and Weiss' worries returned as she remembered what Ironwood had said about a dangerous river. What if..?

Yang burst from the shade of the tall trees into the silver light of the still-rising moon, her hair shining pale yellow as she slid to stop on a grassy embankment that overlooked the racing river cutting through the woods. Weiss, Pyrrha, and Nora quickly appeared beside her, their chests heaving as they stared wide-eyed at the gushing white spray that flew into the air as the water shoved at tall, smooth rocks that stood in its path. The call came again, faint and choked, "Help!"

"There!" Yang flung her hand out, pointing downstream at a dark object bouncing in the turgid water, the outline of a flailing arm easily visible in the clear moonlight. "Come on!" The group of girls clambered down the shore as fast as they safely could, careful of slippery rocks or unstable footholds, racing against the river to catch up to Ruby. "We're coming Ruby!"

Chasing the young girl's floating body, forced to listen to her desperate pleas while watching her small form bobbing below the river's surface, the four finally managed to get ahead of their friend when the stream took a sharp turn. A fallen trunk, brown and slick from the rain, stretched across a narrow section of the ravine, directly in Ruby's path. With a grunt, Yang leaped onto the tree, her arms held far out to help keep her balance. "Give me a hand, guys!" Pyrrha and Weiss stepped forward, bracing themselves against the upturned roots and sharing one of the blonde's hands while she leaned over the edge, reaching for her sister. "Here, Ruby! Grab my hand!" Their hands connected as Ruby began to pass underneath the trunk, and Yang groaned as she tried to lift the small girl out of the water. "Fuck! She's too heavy! Help me get her to the edge!" Weiss and Pyrrha walked backwards slowly as Yang crept across the trunk, dragging Ruby against the current until she was next to the shore.

Nora jumped down and grabbed her about the chest, hauling her out of the water and onto dry land. "Holy shit! There's someone else here!" When Ruby was safe, lying on the grass shaking and crying, Pyrrha and Weiss helped Nora drag a second body free of the river. All five girls were gasping for breath, exhausted from the panic, the fear, and the grueling effort of saving Ruby. The small girl was tightly held in her sister's arms, the blonde stroking her hands through the reddish hair and kissing her on the cheek, shivering in the cold. Weiss removed her jacket and tossed it to Yang to put around Ruby.

After a long spell of relative silence as they tried to calm down, Weiss stood up, supporting herself against a tree. "We... We need to get her to a hospital. We need to get them both to the hospital."

"Oh my God!" Pyrrha shrieked, drawing everyone's attention. Her hands were flung to her mouth, and her eyes were locked to the woman's face; she had turned over the second body. "It's Ms. Fall!" She touched two fingers to the wet neck, feeling for a pulse. "She's dead!"

"Holy..." Nora breathed, recoiling away from the teacher's body. "Look at her arms!" Gruesome, gory lines cut through the drowned woman's flesh, crossing and intersecting in a twisted jigsaw pattern, revealing dull red streaks of exposed muscle cleaned by the river. Weiss felt sick and scared. What had done this? How could a woman she had seen running and breathing just hours ago wind up... like _that_. Dead. Mutilated. Her stomach tried to turn itself upside down, and she fought the urge to vomit.

"Guys! She's saying something!" Yang's shout pulled their gaze to the pair of sisters, Ruby pressed against Yang's shoulder and wrapped in Weiss' coat. The other three, casting worried glances at the corpse on the ground, sat themselves in a circle a comfortable distance from their friend, giving her some space. "What is it Ruby?"

"...ake. It was Blake." Ruby's voice, between coughs that sent water flying from her lungs, was barely above a whisper, her eyes staring lifelessly at the muddy ground. "It was Blake. It was Blake. She rescued me. She saved me." She lifted her eyes, looking past her friends into the forest. "Where... where is Blake? Where's Blake?"

"Who's Blake, Ruby? Who's-"

"I... I need Blake... Where's Bla...ke..?" The silver eyes closed, the small girl's mouth parted open as gentle breaths puffed from her lips.

Yang caressed her hands through her sister's hair, bright tears dripping down her cheeks. "We need to get her out of here. She needs to go to the hospital." The blonde looked at Pyrrha. "The radio!"

"Ah! Right!" Pyrrha dug through her coat until she pulled out the small radio they had been given back at the gathering point. Tuning to the correct channel, she pressed the button and said, "Hello? This is Pyrrha Nikos. We found Ruby! We found her! We're going to make our way back to the cars. She needs to get to a hospital!"

While Pyrrha listened to the radio for instructions from the police, Yang stood, carrying her sister by the shoulders and knees, and Nora stepped over to the body of Ms. Fall. "Give me a hand, Weiss? We should probably bring her back too."

"Uh, yes." Weiss bent down to grab the woman's shoulders while Nora reached for her legs, but something on the far shore caught her eyes. Glaring golden discs watched her from across the river, tangled black hair draped across rising shoulders, a bloody knife clutched in clawed hands. Pointed ears were outlined in silver light, flat against the creature's head, while white fangs glistened as the thing snarled. "What in the-!" Weiss screamed, jerking backwards and falling onto the dirt.

"You okay, princess?" Nora asked, raising a concerned eyebrow.

"Behind you!" Weiss pointed to the other bank, "There's a..." Looking past the ginger-haired girl, she saw... nothing. The... beast she had seen had vanished. "There _was_ a... a..."

"Guys," Yang said from behind Weiss, "I'm getting worried about Ruby. We need to get her out of here." Weiss nodded, determinedly setting her teeth and swallowing her fear, and lifted Ms. Fall's shoulders.

The group set off at a fast walk back towards the mouth of the forest, Pyrrha in the lead listening to the radio, followed by Yang and Ruby, with Weiss, Nora, and the corpse of Ms. Fall in the rear. Weiss cast one last look back at the river, afraid of what she might see, but nothing stood there. The monster, if there had indeed been one, was gone. She pushed the idea out of her head; she didn't have time to waste worrying about imagined monsters. They had to get Ruby to a hospital.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you thought. Only two updates left!

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**Keep moving forward.**


	13. A Trip to the Woods

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Notes: **Here's the deal: I suck at endings. I'm really nervous about the quality of this chapter. I hope you like it.

* * *

In a dim room lit only by the sunlight that slanted through closed blinds, casting a restricted glow across stacked drawers covered in dust and fingerprints, two men sat on opposite sides of a wide mahogany desk. The first man, old and fat and balding, reclined in his high-backed chair, drumming his fingers on his sizable belly while his visitor pulled a manila folder from inside his jacket and laid it across the desk. The second man leaned back, wearing a self-satisfied grin and watching as the first grunted and reached to the edge of the desk to flick on a small lamp. Harsh yellow light spread over the desk as the first man dragged the folder into his lap, settling a pair of reading glasses over the bridge of his nose, and spread it open to investigate the contents.

After a few minutes of silence as he thumbed through the gathered pages, the fat man sighed, closed the folder, and tossed it back onto the desk. He pitched his girth forward, removing his glasses and glowering at the smiling man across from him as he set his elbows on the table. Wetting his lips and clearing his throat, the first man asked, "Why have you brought this to me?"

The second man's sly grin widened, pearly teeth shining in the soft sunlight, his fingers playing with the edges of the hat that rested over his knee. "Because I want to see justice done." He switched legs, twirling the hat in his hands before dropping it into his lap. "And done correctly." he added.

"Ha." More of a grunt than a laugh puffed out of the first man, making his jowls bounce. "The day you care about 'justice'... Why did you take this case?"

Leaning back in his chair, the second man put a hand to his mouth and shrugged. "I was approached by a Mr. Schnee asking for someone to investigate certain accusations that were made recently. And offered an unreasonable sum of money."

"What do the Schnees have to do with Ms. Rose?"

"She is a friend of their daughter's, apparently."

"Ah." The fat man re-examined the folder with new interest. "You make some very... unusual remarks in this report." He flipped between two pages, raising an eyebrow. "How did you manage to put all this together in only two weeks?"

"You'd be surprised how motivated I can be, when the, uh, _payoff_ is adequate."

"Hmph." The first man turned to the second page. "You don't think she ran away?"

The second man shook his head. "Not at all."

"You're arguing she was kidnapped? By the late Cinder Fall?"

"Absolutely. I believe I made it clear in my report." The first man's brows furrowed as he focused on the folder while the second man continued to speak. "By her family's testimony, Ms. Rose was kept after school multiple days per week for 'tutoring,' but neither Ozpin nor Goodwitch remember authorizing these sessions, nor were they offered to other students." He picked at his nails while the first man grunted acknowledgment. "The classmates we – I – interviewed also described a sense of favoritism or protectiveness towards Ms. Rose. Maybe 'possessiveness' is a better fit. Furthermore, the cave where Ms. Rose had been sheltering in was filled with books, some stolen from Beacon High School."

"So what would I argue to the judge? To the jury? That it was a hideout? A safehouse for a pedophile?"

"Something like that. People like Ms. Fall thrive on being in _control_, and what's more controlling than isolating your – I'm hesitant to say 'prey' – in the middle of the forest? Ms. Rose also said that Ms. Fall was the first one to find her. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

"Hmm. That's for the judge to decide. Let's discuss your analysis of Ms. Rose's testimony for a minute, if you don't mind."

The smile shrank, the second man twisting his head and pulling at his collar. "Certainly, sir."

"She said in court that Ms. Fall was sexually abusing her, and that it had been occurring since the beginning of the school year."

Gloved fingers twisted the brim of the black hat. "Yes, that is correct. And if you remember, sir, the medical inspection of Ms. Rose was quite revealing. Multiple bruises on her arms, contusions and scabs around her neck, a broken shoulder! It was incredibly physical abuse! She had a concussion, for God's sake!"

"I understand that, damn it, and I'll tell the jury the same thing! But the prosecution will only use that as ammunition for their argument that Ruby Rose _killed_ Cinder Fall! I noticed your report seems to ignore this!"

"Well, that is b-because of, of the..." The second man gulped, chewing on his lip. Regaining his composure, he said, "Don't you think it's a little unreasonable to suggest that _Ms. Rose_ could kill _Ms. Fall_? Won't the jury see it the same way?"

The first man sighed and settled back, rubbing his face, the folder laying open in his lap. "I believe, and hope, they will. However, they are legally obligated to examine every possibility, and that remains the only _plausibility!_"

"Ah! But what about what she said about the-"

An accusatory finger flipped up and jabbed at the second man. "Do NOT think for a _second _that you or I can convince a jury of that! I don't even believe it myself!" The fat man smacked the folder onto the desk, linking his fingers and resting his hands over the dossier, his mouth turning downwards in a displeased frown. "How does she expect anyone to believe that she was attacked, and then rescued, by a monster named 'Blake,' and that it was this... _creature_ that killed Ms. Fall?!" His unwavering glare bored into the second man with intense displeasure. "Care to comment on this? You neglected to expand on her statement in your notes."

"Ahem. Mm. Ah, well, my partner and I have a theory about that-"

"Your partner? Where is he? I'd like to hear his... input as well."

"She. And I doubt you could get a single word out of her. Our theory, and I'll admit it's a tad far-fetched, is... that White Fang killed Cinder Fall."

After a brief pause, the first man blinked, then burst into laughter. "W-White Fang?" he sputtered, wiping a tear from his eye, "That was a rumor circulated by nutjobs over a _decade_ ago! It wasn't real then, and no one will believe it's real now! Do you honestly expect me to give _that_ to a jury?"

"There have been multiple reports of thefts and strange noises since the 'Taurus' situation, and I _know_ you remember that whole debacle. Don't you remember what it said? About the others? It's a perfectly logical-"

The first man's laughter and a waved dismissal cut him off. "Get out! You're a lunatic!"

Pinching his lips to stifle an indignant retort, the second man raised his hands in a placating gesture of surrender. "Fine, fine. You're right. It was a stretch of the imagination, at best."

"Good." The first man fiddled with his glasses, rubbing a clean cloth across the lenses to remove a stubborn smudge. "Now, what do you expect me to _actually_ say in court?"

"My partner did some research, and has come up with the perfect defense." The second man rolled up the sleeves of his dark dress shirt, the room's temperature, and his wounded ego, proving too much for his sense of professionalism. "Dissociative identity disorder. Ms. Rose's stress, caused by the abuse and kidnapping, created a separate identity for her, meaning that 'Blake' is actually Ruby Rose, but she _thinks_ it's a different person, and she can't remember any of her actions. It has precedents, and has resulted in exoneration in other cases-"

The first man cut him off with an impatient grumble. "But what about the, the scratches, on Ms. Fall?" He flipped open the file and jammed a meaty finger over a photo of large gashes wiped clean by river water. "The coroner ruled them as defensive wounds. Was Cinder Fall torn all to hell by a fifteen-year-old girl? _That's _what this trial is about! That's what the prosecution is arguing!"

"Of course not. It was by White Fang."

"Why you-"

The second man sniffed, rising from the chair and depositing his hat onto his head. "I am not here to do your job for you, sir. I was payed to investigate the Rose case, and I have. You have my notes and my theories, use them how you will. But I know that _something_ made those marks on that woman, and there's no way it was Ruby Rose. Sure, it could have been a bear or a mountain lion, or even the rocks in the ravine, but all that sounds fishy to me."

The fat man glared up at him from his seat, a frustrated red tinge coloring his generous cheeks. His voice strained to contain his rising ire as he said, "You... You've made your point. I thank you for the notes, but now I think you should leave."

"Whatever, I've already gotten my advance, it doesn't make a difference to me whether or not little Red walks." The second man, already heading to the door, hooked his white overcoat across his elbow. "But I think I'll look into my theory. There's... something, in those woods, and I'll-"

"Get out of my office, Torchwick! I've had enough of your crackpot theories!" The door latched closed with a quiet '_click_', and the shadow of the private investigator faded away. "Fucking maniac." The desk lamp switched off, but the folder remained open in front of the fat man, and he sighed as he slowly withdrew a notebook and started scribbling pointers for the upcoming trial.

* * *

Fluffy white clouds lumbered across the sky like balls of cotton towards the sunset, pushed along by a balmy wind, speckling the ground with moving spots of soft shade. Weiss stopped her nervous pacing around her room to stare at the drifting puffs, their misty edges highlighted in warm gold, and smiled as the gentle wind washed through the open window and tussled her hair. It was going to be another beautiful May weekend, and perfect for their planned camping trip.

At lunch earlier that day, Yang had told the group that Ruby, who was still at home recovering from her ordeal in the forest, wanted to go camping again over the weekend. When Pyrrha had asked why, Yang had shrugged and said, "I don't know. She said she wanted us to meet Blake."

"What? But... but isn't Blake, you know, not... not real?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But she gave me the puppy-dog eyes..."

"Then I guess we're _forced _to go. Oh well, it'll be good to relax a little before finals."

The sound of an engine drew Weiss' attention back to the present and she ran to the window, gasping in delight when she spotted the approaching car rumbling down the driveway. She leaped away from the window, borne on wings of excited energy, and hustled to the door, only stopping to check her appearance in the mirror. Was this shirt okay? Did the shorts match? Should she move the ponytail over, or leave it where it was? Smoothing out her blouse and making one final adjustment to her hair, she ran a finger along the length of pink skin that crossed her eye. The mark that had given her so much pain and so many tears now made her smile; Yang would always say how much she loved the scar.

The sound of the doorbell made her heart jump. As she snatched up the blue duffel bag full of clothes that rested by the doorway, she heard the front door open and her mother's voice as she greeted their guest, welcoming the young woman into the house. Weiss was already at the top of the stairs when her mother appeared at the bottom. "Oh, there you are Weiss!" Her mother smiled, a bright, happy twinkle in her eyes as she winked at her daughter. "Your _friend _is here, come on down."

Weiss thundered down the steps, her shoes thumping against the hardwood stairs, skipping the last two to land with a '_thud_' against the floor, dropping her bag and leaping at the blonde girl standing by the entrance. "Yang!"

"Hey there, Wei-oof!" Yang's eyes widened as she was squeezed between Weiss' arms, the white-haired girl burying herself into the blonde's chest. "You ready to go?"

"Ohmygosh YES! I'm so excited to stay the night! I can't wait to-" Suddenly aware of her mother watching them and giggling, Weiss released her girlfriend and took a step back, clasping her hands behind her. "I...umm, I mean, that, uh... Yes, let's go." She couldn't hide the furious blush that spread across her cheeks as she strut back to her bag and hefted it onto her shoulder.

"Great! Come on!" Yang lead the way out, helping Weiss get her stuff into the car's trunk before hopping into the driver's seat.

Her mother waved from the porch as they started to drive away, her smirk undisguised. "Bye honey! Have fun!"

"Bye Mom!" Weiss called out the window as the car ambled down the driveway. She'd never had a sleepover before; she didn't know what to expect. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. She couldn't believe her parents had let her do this! Why had her mother seemed so excited about it when she'd asked?

The ride to Yang's house was calm and quiet, the girls' hair fluttering in the wind that rushed through the rolled-down windows, bobbing their heads in time with the music from the radio, laughing and smiling at each others' jokes. "So, Weiss, are you excited to meet 'Blake'?" Yang asked while they were stopped at a light. "What do you think she's like? It's so weird to think that my little sister has a completely different personality..."

The high spirits Weiss had had sank at the mention of Ruby's alternate personality. She was worried that it wasn't true; the eyes she'd seen that night still haunted her mind, appearing in dark places and always watching her from behind. That image of snarling fangs and bloody hands was burned into her brain, but she still couldn't be sure that it wasn't just a nightmare or a hallucination. Perhaps this is how Ruby had felt on their last trip; frightened, nervous, unsure of herself, and yet no one would believe her. "I think that... it will... it will be very interesting to meet her." Weiss said with a shaky smile that seemed to appease Yang. What if Blake _was_ a separate person? What if it was her that she had seen in-

"Here we are!" Yang put the car into park and jumped out, grabbing Weiss' bag for her before leading the way into the house. "I'll put your bag with the others. If you're hungry or thirsty help yourself to anything that's in the kitchen. I put an air mattress for you in my room, if you wanted to go get set up?"

"Okay. I'll head on up."

"Cool! Meet you up there in a second."

Weiss slowly walked up the steps, having done it enough times in the last few weeks to know how to avoid all the old stains that littered the carpeted stairs, and made her way towards Yang's room at the end of the hall. A door opened on the side of the hallway, Ruby stepping out of the bathroom enveloped in a towel with her hair, still dripping, plastered to the side of her head. She smiled when she saw Weiss. "Oh! Hey Weiss! I didn't know you were coming over! How are you?"

Weiss only stood frozen in a mixture of awe and surprise, gawking at the short redhead. She hadn't seen Ruby since the trial a week ago, where she had seemed nervous and worried, smothered in bandages and a stiff suit dress. There were still purple bruises beneath her chin, and an awkward lump on her shoulder from where the muscle healed wrong, but the way her eyes sparkled with happiness and the way her smile shone with genuine cheer was so different from when they had first met that she seemed to be looking at a completely new person. "H-Hey, Ruby. It... it's nice to see you! H-How are you doing?"

"I'm good!" Ruby hiked up the towel, which was threatening to slip off, and kind of stumbled toward her room. "Let me get dressed, and I'll meet you in Yang's room?"

"S-Sure." Ruby disappeared behind her door as Weiss walked into her girlfriend's room, sitting on the bed and glancing over all the usual decorations. Posters of her favorite bands, a couple trophies, pictures of her family; it was all very 'Yang'. One thing that caught her eye was a large box resting in a corner behind a beanbag chair, wrapped in shiny white paper and topped with a silky light-blue ribbon. Weiss stood, her eyes wide and locked to the box, taking small steps toward the corner as she reached out her hand. Was this for her?

Ruby plopped down into the beanbag chair in front of her, freshly dressed in a red shirt and loose black shorts. "She'd be pretty upset if you opened that early..." Ruby's sudden appearance and knowing smirk distracted Weiss from the large gift, and she laughed as she settled back onto the bed.

"So," She clapped her hands and rubbed them together awkwardly, "how, how have you been, Ruby?"

"I've been great! I can't wait to get back to school, though. It's so boring, being stuck in 'recovery'! I just go to therapy and watch TV all day long." Ruby groaned, dragging her hands down her cheeks as she lay back in the chair.

"How's therapy going?"

"Oh, it's cool, despite how much I complain about it. Ms. Adel is super nice! She's fresh out of college, and she's a super fashionista so during sessions I get pointers!" Ruby thrust out her chest to show off her new shirt, tossing her hair back with an extravagant gesture that made Weiss giggle. The old Ruby would never have acted like that; it was amazing how much she'd changed. "Yeah, therapy is pretty neat. It's nice to finally get all that... stuff, off my chest, you know?" Ruby suddenly brightened, sitting up in the chair. "Hey! Have you seen Yang's new-"

"That's enough out of you, little sis!" Yang's voice shouted from the doorway, the blonde leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed. She stepped into the room and sat beside Weiss, throwing her arm around the smaller girl's shoulder. "I can't have you ruining the surprise!"

"Oh?" Weiss whispered, raising an eyebrow, "What surprise is that?"

"Can't tell ya'! I'm saving it for when we come back!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "I'll bet I can get you to tell me..." she said, nuzzling into the crook of Yang's neck and lightly kissing her skin. Yang laughed and tried to shy away, but Weiss chased after her, until finally they were laying side by side on the bed, giggling sultrily.

"Ick!" Ruby made a disgusted noise and stuck out her tongue. "I'm out of here!" She stood and rushed out of the room, yelling down the stairs, "Dad! They're cuddling!"

"Girls, no cuddling!"

**…**

Weiss stared at the ceiling, watching the spinning fan blades and listening to the nighttime chirp of cicadas and crickets that warbled through the open windows on a cool breeze, her hands connected underneath her head as she lay on the air mattress with the covers pulled up to her chest. Her blue nightgown caught the thin light of the moon that poked through the half-drawn blinds, shining a steely blue in the darkness, casting a dim cerulean glow around the room. It wasn't the somewhat uncomfortable temperature that kept her awake, nor Yang's loud snoring, but instead a maelstrom of thoughts that swirled inside and occupied her mind.

Could she have imagined three weeks ago that she'd be sleeping in the same room as Yang Xiao Long, _voluntarily_? Three weeks ago she'd been the Ice Queen, terror of Beacon High and polar opposite of that pesky blonde, but now they were _dating_! And she couldn't be happier. Everything that Yang used to do that annoyed her was now incredibly endearing; the small touches, the bright smile, the care. Yang _cared_, and with so much warmth and kindness that the high icy walls of Castle Schnee had melted before her eyes. It had all started with a simple trip to the woods, when she finally said 'Yes'.

"Weiss? You still awake?"

She turned her head to find purple eyes, half-closed and hazy with sleep, glancing down at her from the top of the bed. "Yeah. Just thinking about some things."

Yang grunted and rolled over. "Mmkay. But they better be about me..." Her voice faded from a grumble to a whisper as she fell back to sleep, gentle snoozes soon drifting from the other side of the bed.

Weiss burst into giggles, having to cover her mouth so she didn't wake the blonde. "Curse you, Xiao Long! Don't make me laugh!" She murmured as she shifted onto her side and pulled the covers to her neck, "And yes, they are about you..."

* * *

Blinding sunlight shafted through the blinds and directly onto Weiss' eyelids, rousing her from her peaceful sleep. She sat up, yawning as she stretched her arms, and found herself alone in the room, Yang's empty bed left messy and unmade. After changing into her day clothes, she stumbled down the hallway past Ruby's open door, the young girl also absent, and slowly descended the stairs. Rubbing the leftover sleep from her face, she found the other three residents of the house sitting in the dining room, sharing a breakfast of doughnuts and coffee.

"Morning, Ice Queen!" Yang cheered through a mouthful of crumbs and icing, "Dad bought us doughnuts! Take your pick!"

Weiss pulled up a chair and helped herself to a cup of coffee and a large, sticky glazed doughnut. Licking her fingers clean, she asked, "When are we planning on leaving?"

"Right after this!" Yang answered, standing and taking her mug to the sink. "Just gotta load the car!" She popped her head back into the dining room and glared at her sister. "And we'll remember the tents this time, won't we?"

Ruby waved her away while taking a long sip. "Right, right. Ooh, I can't wait!" She wiggled in her seat, a smile splitting her face. "I'm so excited for you to meet Blake!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss saw Yang's dad stiffen and glance sidelong at his younger daughter, his nostrils flaring. She didn't want to think about how much that name must frighten him. No doubt it was a reminder of one of the most painful times in his life; his daughter missing for days, then put on trial for murder. It was inspiring how he'd kept it together the last few weeks.

Yang looked at the clock and gasped, drawing Weiss' attention. "We better get going soon, or Nora's daily sugar rush will kick in before we get there." The house was filled with the clatter of dishes as Weiss and Ruby scrambled to get ready to leave.

**…**

The campsite looked identical to the last time they had been here, the long logs browning in the late morning sun while gnats and cicadas buzzed through the air, but the weather was warmer and the forest smelled like sweet flowers as bright blossoms flourished on the ends of the thickets of short branches. Weiss helped Pyrrha and Yang unpack the car and set up the tents while Ruby stretched, working out the kinks in her back from the long drive, and Nora was already off looking for big sticks in preparation for the evening's fire.

The drive into the mountains had been filled with jokes and laughter, the group of girls poking fun at Pyrrha for her boyfriend's actions at the Spring dance, but Weiss had sensed a small uneasiness in everyone but Ruby. The forest should hold nothing but bad memories for the poor girl, so why was she so insistent on going back? She could tell by Yang's tight grip on the steering wheel that the blonde was nervous about returning to the woods, while Pyrrha's multiple quick glances at Ruby betrayed her concern for the young redhead, and Nora, despite sitting next to Ruby for the whole trip, barely spoke to her. Their group was haunted; haunted by the shadow of an evil woman that had turned a relaxing expanse of trees into a den of nightmares, a reminder of torture and fear.

Weiss' own fear was different. After her short conversation with Ruby the night before, she could tell the difference in the girl's mood. She was over her depression, her fear of school, and whatever happened to her in the forest. Weiss was afraid of the creature that lurked behind the foliage, watching them with glaring golden eyes, waiting to strike. She hadn't told anyone what she'd seen that night. Who would have believed her? No, it was better to forget about that... _thing_. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. It was just a-

"You doin' okay, Ice Queen?"

Weiss jerked her head up from staring at the ground, finding purple eyes hovering in front of her face, giving her an odd look. "Um, yes, I'm fine."

Yang smirked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow, and setting down the sleeping bag she'd been carrying to the tents to set her hands on her hips. "Uh huh. Sure. What's on your mind?"

Her eyes wandered until they landed on Ruby, standing on a log with her hands in her pockets, and Weiss sighed. "The same thing that I'm sure is on yours..." She crossed her arms and turned to face the young girl while Yang stepped beside her, laying a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Why does she want to come back here, Yang? She's the only one who still _likes _it, but she has the only reasons _not _to. And who is Blake?" Or 'what'. The eyes...

"I don't know. But maybe-"

"YA-ANG!" Ruby shouted from across the clearing, waving her arm to get her sister's attention. "I'm going to go find Blake!"

Yang gasped, her eyes going wide, and started stomping across the campsite. "What? B-But Ruby, we, we still need to finish getting ready!"

"Don't worry I'll be back soon!" Ruby turned away and stepped into the forest, her shirt and hair smudges of red amongst a wall of brown and green.

"Do you want one of us to go with you?" Yang's voice was strained with concern, "Maybe we should all go together?"

Ruby was already hidden behind the curtain of innumerable leaves, only her voice, wafting back to her friends, gave any indication that she was still there. "No, that would scare her! Just stay there, I'll be back!"

Yang ground her teeth together in helpless frustration, her hands balling into fists. "God damn it, Ruby! Come back!" She took two steps into the brush before Weiss caught her wrist. "What?!"

"She'll be back, Yang. She'll be fine, don't worry."

Yang cast one last frantic look over her shoulder before sighing and letting her shoulders droop. "Damn it. She'd goddamn better be, or I don't know what I'll do."

**…**

The sun was a shining coin glowing yellow amidst a sky saturated in orange, pink, and red, kissing the tops of the tallest trees while long striations of purple-shadowed clouds cut across the sunset like colorful ink at the bottom of a glass of water. The tents gently shook back and forth in the breeze whose light chill heralded the coming night, their dancing tempting the four girls towards the warm sleeping bags that lay through the zipped-up flaps. The small fire that Nora had decided to start early crackled and spat as it feasted on the dry twigs and thick wooden refuse they had found, it's heated glimmer flickering across their faces as they sat on the fallen logs, illuminating their dour expressions in the growing twilight.

Skewers rested on the ground with their tips blackening in the flames, ready to be put away after being used to roast the traditional camping meal of hot dogs. Nora, earnest to break the sullen silence, sprang off the log and melodramatically stretched her arms as she yawned. "Dinner was yummy! You guys ready for dessert? Of course you are! I'll get the marshmallows!" She hopped her way to the car to gather the materials while Yang groaned to her feet.

"It's starting to get dark..." Yang muttered, crossing her arms and scuffing her shoe through the dirt, "I'm going to go look for her."

"She told us to wait..." Pyrrha said, giving the blonde an understanding look while poking a stick into the embers, casting up a plume of sparks, "I'm sure she'll be back any second, with Blake in tow." She turned to face Weiss, who was sitting quietly on the end of the log, staring into the forest. "Right, Weiss?"

"Huh, what? Oh, yes. Yes, I'm sure." Weiss gave a quick smile before turning back to the darkness and wringing her hands in her lap. "She'll be back any second now." What was it about the shadows that made her so afraid to look away? Why did the near-blackness conjure such frightening images in her mind? Fangs, claws, and yellow eyes blurred in the evening's dim light, terrifying afterimages from that horrible night appearing from shadows that lurked between the trees.

She jumped when she felt hands land on her shoulders, sucking in breath but managing not to scream. "You okay there, Ice Queen?" Yang sat down and hugged her, laying her chin on Weiss' shoulder.

"Yeah, it's... it's..." Nothing? Certainly not. She slid Yang's hands off from around her chest, turning to face the rest of the group. "Can I tell you guys something?"

Pyrrha set down her stick, leaning forward onto her knees. "Sure, Weiss. What's bugging you?"

"Do you guys remember the last time we were here, and Ruby freaked out? She said she saw the monster?"

Nora plopped down next to the tall redhead with a bag of marshmallows, bits of white fluff poking from her mouth while her hand dug for more. "Mm-hmm. She shaid ih ackacked her."

"Well... I think I saw it too."

Yang's eyebrows rose, Nora stopped eating, and Pyrrha half-stood. "You saw it too?" Yang asked, "But, but it's not real! It's just an urban legend..."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Nora jumped forward and kneeled in front of Weiss, causing the latter to lean back to avoid getting splattered with marshmallow chunks. "What did it look like? Did it look like a yeti?"

"No, it looked like... It had these horrible-"

A happy voice broke through the clearing, "I'm back!" Four heads whipped to the treeline, where Ruby was slowly walking toward the fire, waving and smiling wide. "And I brought someone I want you to meet!"

"Ruby!" Yang shouted, rising to her feet and getting ready to run to her sister, "Where have you been!? I've been worried-!"

Ruby held a finger to her lips, gesturing for quiet as she rejoined the group. "Shh, I don't want you guys to scare her. She's really shy." She turned back to the woods, cupping her hand next to her mouth and yelling, "Come on out Blake, it's okay!" They waited, anxiously watching the line of trunks, but no one appeared. Ruby giggled awkwardly, holding up her hands and walking back to the forest. "Heh heh, one second guys. Blake!" She disappeared for a moment, then returned into the dim light dragging another person by the hand. "Come on, they're nice, I promise!" she whispered to her still-invisible companion.

The second person stepped out from the trees and into the light, and Weiss felt her blood freeze.

A tall creature with gangly arms stood beside Ruby, tentacles of black hair dangling across its chest and shoulders, topped with a pair of fuzzy ears. It wore ripped black shorts and a tattered black shirt, revealing astonishingly pale skin, and kept its clawed hands pressed tightly in front of its chest. Its gaze flicked between the four girls, watching them with the glowing golden eyes that dominated Weiss' nightmares.

Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss screamed in terror, while Nora threw her fists into the air and shouted, "I knew it!"

"What the FUCK is _that_?!" Yang howled, pointing at the beast next to Ruby. After a moment, her hands curled into fists, and she stomped toward the pair. "Get away from my sister, you _monster_!"

The furry ears flattened; the creature shrank into itself and tried to hide behind Ruby. "I told you, Ruby, I told you!"

The young girl stepped in front of her sister, spreading her arms and blocking her from getting close to the dark-haired beast behind her. "Wait, Yang! Stop!" She pushed against her sister, digging her heels into the dirt, until finally Yang settled back, but her face was still twisted in an angry snarl. "Yang, everyone, this is Blake... She saved me."

Wind rustled the leafy boughs as the sun dipped behind the horizon, twinkling stars appearing overhead to watch the tense scene unfolding in the grassy clearing, the shifting orange light of the campfire silhouetting Yang's face as she and her friends stared at the unfamiliar and strange creature that cowered behind Ruby, its hands trying to hide its face. Several long minutes of strained silence passed before it spoke, "This was a mistake, Ruby. It, I, I can't... I'm not... I shouldn't..." It started to back away toward the trees. "I need to go. I need to go!"

"Wait!" Weiss' voice cut in from the back of the campsite, tinged with a mix of fear and curiosity. Five heads turned to watch her, five pairs of eyes staring at her; Pyrrha's were afraid, Nora's were... normal; if there was such a state with the short ginger; Ruby's were surprised, Yang's were boiling with anger, worry, and confusion, and the monster's – Blake's – were sparkling with tears. Weiss could hear her heart hammering in her chest as she gulped and slowly walked toward the shivering creature, stopping when she was two steps away. Cold sweat gathered in her palms and down her back, chilling her skin in the gentle wind. Her instincts urged her to run, but her mind demanded satisfaction for her curiosity. "W-Why did, did you come here?"

The monster was silent for a lifetime of seconds, then pointed a finger at Ruby and said, "Ruby asked me to come. She wanted me to meet you. I told her-!" It took a step backwards, keeping low to the ground and flicking its eyes between the human girls. "I told her I shouldn't go! I told her it wouldn't be the same!" It turned around and prepared to sprint into the trees.

"Look!" Weiss gasped, pointing at a lump of dirty bandages that clung to the creature's shoulder. Black ears shot straight up while the beast froze in place. "You saved her, didn't you, Blake?" She saw Yang and Ruby both look at her out of the corner of her eye. "You saved Ruby, right?"

The answer drifted back in a hushed whisper, "Yes." Blake rose to her full height, about as tall as Yang, staring at the ground as her hands twisted each other. "She... I... I stole her sweatshirt. Then she asked to go far away, and I felt like I needed to help her. But she fell and hurt herself, so I took her home and then that _woman_ came and I was angry, so angry, and then she fell into the water and I... I... and I was scared! Because I l-... What if she died?"

"But you saved her from that woman, right?"

"Yes!"

"And you never hurt Ruby?"

"No! Never! I'd never-!" Her eyebrows shot up and she clamped her jaw shut, her hands flying to her mouth. "No, I did." She looked at Ruby, small glistening tears dripping down her cheeks. "I shouldn't be here."

Ruby pouted sympathetically, crossing to Blake and draping her arms around the crying creature, whispering "It's okay, Blake, I've forgiven you." She faced her friends, "She's not dangerous, or scary, or mean. She's my friend. She saved my life."

Yang and Weiss shared a glance, then the blonde sighed and walked to Blake and Ruby. Crouching down, she stretched out her hand, grinning uncertainly when the creature hesitated to take it. "If Ruby says you're okay, then I guess you're okay. I'm Yang."

It wiped away its tears before shaking Yang's hand, a thin smile growing across its face. "I'm Blake."

"Are you hungry, Blake?"

"Um, yes."

Yang stood, pulling the monster to her feet. "Want a hot dog?"

Blake's eyes brightened and she licked her lips. "Ooh, yes please! I like hot dogs!"

"Come sit by me!" Nora shouted, patting a spot beside her on the log. Blake, still a little nervous, slowly lowered herself onto the trunk, anxiously watching as the rest of the girls sat around the fire. Just when she seemed to relax, Nora leaned in front of her face, her wide turquoise eyes inspecting the creature's hair, face, and ears. "So... what are you? Are you a yeti? Or a werewolf?"

Pyrrha coughed. "Nora! Don't... I mean, you shouldn't..."

"I'm a faunus, to answer your question. I'm like a werewolf that never transforms."

Nora pouted, slumping over in her seat and putting her chin in her hand. "Damn. That stinky Ren wins the bet."

"I'm... sorry?"

Ruby sat on Blake's other side, resting her head on the faunus' shoulder. "See, Blake? Not all humans want to hurt you. We," She spread her arm, gesturing to Weiss, Pyrrha, Yang, Nora, and herself, "are your friends, and we won't hurt you. You don't have to be afraid of us."

The faunus looked at each of them, fresh tears of relief rising in the corners of the amber discs, her mouth spreading wide in a wobbly smile. "Thank you, Ruby," she sobbed, squeezing her arms around the young girl, "Thank you! I feel... better, less nervous now."

Yang, sitting next to Weiss and cooking a pair of hot dogs, leaned over and whispered, "I wonder who really saved who..."

Weiss nodded, feeling a smile creep across her face as she watched Ruby and Blake hug. It was heartwarming, seeing the way they looked at each other, as though they had been blind but then opened their eyes to the most beautiful sight in the world. Her fear of the creature in the woods was gone. There was no malice in those eyes that gazed longingly at Ruby, no danger from those claws that held the short redhead's hands, and the fuzzy ears looked so cute. "I think they saved each other."

* * *

The morning was cool and fresh as they packed the car, getting ready to leave the forest behind. Ruby was the last to get in, running to Blake at the last second for a final hug. As they were pulling away, the faunus called out, "Goodbye, Strawberry Girl!"

After a few minutes of driving, Yang met Ruby's eyes in the rear-view mirror. "'_Strawberry_ _Girl_'? What's the story behind _that _one, sis?"

Ruby groaned, rolling her eyes and shuffling lower in her seat as her cheeks reddened. "It's just what she calls me sometimes..." she mumbled into her shirt, avoiding eye contact with any of her snickering travel companions.

"Uh-huh. So, _Strawberry Girl_, do you have a pet name for your girlfriend too?"

"Yang! She's not... not my _girlfriend_!"

"Ruby, if you got any redder you'd be a tomato." Yang pretended to sigh, leaning her head against the headrest. "Well, I always did say that no _boy_ would be good enough for you, so..."

"Yang! Stop! No!"

"This is my revenge for trying to spoil my surprise! And I'm only just beginning..."

"Noooo!"

Weiss cleared her throat, silencing Ruby's distraught moans, and leaned forward to put her head between the front seats. "And what _is_ that surprise? You said you were saving it for the trip back?"

Yang brightened even further, sitting straight up and smiling. "Oh yeah! Well," She winked at Weiss, sticking her tongue through her grin, and said, "when we get back I've got a new toy I want you to ride on!" Pyrrha snorted and doubled over in her chair laughing while Weiss' face blanched, then burst into color as she blushed, her mouth parting open in flummoxed surprise. After a moment, Yang's smile dropped as she realized what she'd just said. "Uh, wait, that's not-"

"Holy shit, Yang..." Pyrrha sniffed, her body shaking as she struggled to wipe tears from her eyes, "That was the best one yet! I can't believe you-"

"Shut up, Pyrrha! Weiss, that wasn't what I meant! I mean, unless-" A quick slap from Weiss to the back of Yang's head cut her off. "Nope nevermind okay got it."

Nora, who'd been staring out the window during the commotion, surprised them all by suddenly blurting, "I like Blake. She seems nice. And I've never met a faunus before!"

The mood in the car calmed down, Weiss returning to her seat and Ruby sitting up. "Yeah. She told me she's the only one though, and I think that's really sad." Ruby readjusted her seat belt and gazed out the window, watching the sun flash through the fluffy clouds. "I'd hate to be alone and afraid of everyone. That's why I wanted you guys to meet her, so she'd have some friends."

"Maybe..." Weiss twisted her bottom lip between her fingers as she thought aloud, "Maybe we should keep this just between us five. Well, six. Let's let the monster in the woods stay a myth. Blake and the forest don't need any more attention than they've gotten in the last few weeks. What do you guys think?"

Yang nodded. "I don't think anyone would believe us anyway, but yeah, I'm in. It should be our little secret."

Weiss looked at Nora and Pyrrha, who both nodded, then turned to find Ruby beaming at her. "Ooh, thanks, guys! I don't think you know how much she'll appreciate that!"

"You're welcome..." Weiss smirked, "...Strawberry Girl."

Ruby's expression fell and she covered her face in her hands while the rest of them chuckled at her embarrassment. "Not you too! Noooo!"

Turning to look out the window while the car filled with laughter, Weiss watched the vast expanse of trees whir by as they sped along the road. Her life had changed so much in the last several weeks. Friends, adventure, laughter; she wasn't the same person that Yang had had to blackmail into going camping. And while she couldn't say she was scared of the monster in the woods, she could certainly say she believed in it.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Thank you so much for reading! I hope the ending to _A Trip to the Woods _was to your satisfaction! There is still an epilogue chapter, but it'll be shorter. Less than 2k words.

Special thanks to **MapleLeafLink** for editing and putting up with my virtual harassment/nervous blithering, and to **NarfoOnTheNet**, **Gorsouul**, and **Energywelder **for all their help keeping me on track.

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**Please remember to review or favorite the story!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	14. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Author's Note:** The epilogue is here! I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Ruby chased her shadow as it skipped across the rough old sidewalk, smiling as she felt the sun warm the back of her neck and the fragrant air of the wind that ruffled her skirt and urged her towards home. She had taken Ms. Adel's advice and started trying out skirts; they were a refreshing change from the tights she'd worn for the last few months, and the way they billowed against the back of her thighs in the breeze made her feel weightless. She hopped up the steps onto her porch, her short red hair bobbing against her ears, fishing her keys out of her backpack and fitting it into the lock.

Her first day back at school had been an enlightening one. Students she had never spoken to before would approach her to offer their condolences or express their happiness at seeing her back in school. Every one of her teachers were surprised, but excitedly so, at seeing her back in class so early, expecting her to take another week or two. That had been the plan, but staying home had been so _boring_, and when she complained to her therapist, Ms. Adel thought perhaps it would help her to go back a little early.

She was not blind to the strange looks she got from people she passed in the hallways, nor deaf to the whispers that floated out of huddled groups of her peers, regarding her with the rejection of abnormality, branding her as a broken outcast to be avoided, but their opinions were impotent dust that drifted past her unacknowledged. Their words could not hurt her any more than she had already been hurt, could not affect her after what she had survived, rendering them meaningless.

Lunch with her friends and her sister had been a relaxing oasis of time where she could laugh and talk about certain creatures that lived in certain forests without needing to guard herself, and she felt better, truly better. She made jokes with Pyrrha, swapped lunches with Nora, teased Yang, and congratulated Weiss on her most recent exam grade. With her confidence soaring, she made her way to the final class of the day with her head held high, only to freeze in place two steps from the doorway.

Revulsion bubbled in her stomach and throat as she stared at the door's familiar wood veneer, the room number, the thin window with the drape pulled down; she knew it was her imagination, but a woman with dark hair and cold yellow eyes was standing just inside the classroom, beckoning her forward with a curling finger. "_Come here, Ruby, it's time for your tutoring session._"

"_No, you're dead._" Ruby whispered, unable to move her feet, her arms locked to her sides. Her heart was pounding in her chest, pumping ice-cold blood along her veins while sweat beaded on her forehead and dampened her palms.

"_Come inside, Ruby, and I'll make you feel good._"

"_You're dead. You're dead._"

"_Come in, Ruby, or you'll be punished. You don't want to be punished do you?_" The apparition stepped out of the classroom with slow, ghostly steps, hovering in the air. The hair depressed across its shoulders, water running from the tips of the tendrils onto the red shirt, leaving long wet marks across the woman's chest. Its pale hand reached out, moving toward Ruby's face.

Ruby fell to her knees, shivering, squeezing her eyes shut. "_You're dead! You're dead!_" she screamed, covering her ears to try and block out the haunting voice of Ms. Fall.

"_You weren't a good girl, Ruby. You told them everything._" Ruby felt a hand on her chin. "_Where is your bow, Ruby? What happened to the present I gave you?_" She couldn't open her eyes; if she did, she was sure she'd die. "_You need to be punished, Ruby._"

"_No! No! No!_" She shook her head and flailed, crawling across the floor, but the hand on her chin could not be dislodged, sharp, manicured nails delicately pressing into her skin.

"_Take off your clothes, Ruby, and I'll make you feel good..._" She felt the hands that used to caress her stomach and arms, felt the cold mouth that used to leave lipstick stains on her chest and thighs, felt the eyes that used to wander across her body like a wolf inspecting its dinner. Through her eyelids she saw the glimmering knife clasped in dead fingers and the streams of blood that coursed down the ripped skin. "_You need to be punished!_" Ruby opened her eyes, and was met with the lifeless remnants of Ms. Fall's yellow eyes, upturned and faded, while the hands that stroked across her face and chest were scarred with long, deep red gashes that oozed blood onto the tiles. "_Ruby..._" the corpse sighed, dragging its fingers down Ruby's face. She felt frigid water swarm and thrust against her legs, rising and rising until it threatened to drown her. Her breath was stolen as her throat was constricted by a drenched red sweatshirt, pulled taut by a hand latching onto the hood in fervent terror, and the water rushed over her head, leaving her blind and airless.

"_BLAKE, SAVE ME!_" The world was black as she fell onto her side in the middle of the hallway, the echoes of her scream shrieking through the school.

She woke up in the nurse's office, lying on one of the beds with the covers pulled over her knees. "_Ms. Rose..._" She jumped when she heard the voice to her side, jerking away with a quiet gasp, but forced herself to relax when she recognized the silver-gray hair and brown glasses of Principal Ozpin. He watched her over the brims, his cane held across his legs as he sat in a too-short chair by her bedside, his eyes flicking between her own. "_...perhaps it would be best if you went home early today?_"

"_I thought I was better, sir._" Tears streaked down her cheeks as her shoulders shook with gentle sobs, and she whimpered into her hands, "_I thought I was over it..._"

Ozpin sighed and stood, placing a reassuring hand onto the small girl's shoulder and rubbing it in slow circles. "_It's okay, Ruby, I understand. But please, go home._"

"I guess I'm not as over it as I thought..." she whispered to herself as she twisted her key and heard the deadbolt retract into the door. As she reached for the doorknob, the door began to swing open, revealing her father on the other side.

He was dressed in a well-worn blue shirt and brown shorts, stepping onto the porch in his bare feet with a sympathetic smile putting wrinkles at the edges of his eyes. After the trial, when Ruby had decided to take some time away from school while she went to therapy, her father had used his built-up vacation time to stay home and care for his younger daughter. "Hi honey." His voice had the same overly concerned caution that everyone used when they spoke to her. Everyone but Blake. "The school just called and told me what happened. Are you alright?"

Looking at the ground and returning his smile, Ruby replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just... just a bad memory." It was a poor lie, and she doubted her father believed it, but he declined to probe deeper, letting the subject drop.

"Glad to hear it, kiddo." He took a step forward and spread his arms, wrapping Ruby into a gentle hug. "Before you go in, there is a man here to see you." Ruby looked upwards, raising an eyebrow. "He came by while you were in the hospital to ask questions for the trial, and helped to get you acquitted. If you don't feel up to it say the word and I'll tell him to come back another time."

Ruby smiled, snuggling against her father's chest and squeezing him a little. "Dad, I know you're concerned, but I'm fine, really." She could _feel_ his skepticism, even as he rubbed his hand across her back. "Today was just a, a fluke. You don't have to worry about me all the time."

He puffed out a short laugh, leaning down to give her a quick peck on the top of her head before stepping back and ruffling her hair. "I'll never stop worrying Ruby, never. You'll understand when you have kids of your own someday." He turned and led her through the entranceway, closing the door behind them. "Alright, he's waiting in the living room. Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

"Grape soda and a cookie, please! Thanks Dad." The older man nodded and walked into the house, heading into the kitchen and disappearing behind the refrigerator door. Ruby sucked in her breath, squared her shoulders, and with a semi-confident nod strode into the house. If the man was going to ask about the woods, she wouldn't have a breakdown. It was in the past, it was over. But more importantly, she had to keep Blake a secret.

Turning to face the living room and setting her backpack down on the couch, she was greeted by the man sitting in a chair on the far side of the room, a black bowler hat with a red stripe twirling on his finger. Seeing her, he stood, brushing his bright orange hair out of the way of his patrician features, and straightened his long overcoat, which looked to Ruby to be far too hot for the warm May weather. He crossed to her, a friendly grin widening across his mouth revealing pearly white teeth, and extended his hand. "It is my absolute pleasure to meet you, Ruby. May I call you Ruby?"

"Umm, y-yes." Ruby stammered as she shook his hand, taken by surprise by his formality and sugared tone.

"Wonderful. I'm Roman Torchwick, a private investigator, and I was hired to help in your recent court case. Would you like to sit down?" He gestured her to the couch, fetching his chair and sitting across from her while she brushed her skirt so it lay properly. Her father returned with a can of soda and small plate of cookies, which she accepted with a quiet 'Thank you'. While she munched on her snack, Roman cleared his throat and crossed his legs. "So, Ruby, the reason I'm here is to ask a few follow-up questions about your, uh, experience in the forest."

Ruby nodded, taking a sip from her soda and wiping her mouth. "Okay."

Roman's smile split his face again, his eyes glittering with satisfaction as he watched her eat. "Wonderful." He seemed nice enough. "Let's cut straight to the chase then, if you don't mind. Tell me about Blake."

Ruby nearly choked on her cookie as she gasped in surprise, shooting straight up in her seat and locking her eyes to Roman's. Their twinkle was suddenly far more malicious, his sly smirk a foreboding representation of a hidden knowledge. Was he serious, or just joking? A deep fear twisted in Ruby's gut that not even cookies and soda could assuage. "W-What do you mean?" she stammered, setting down her drink before she spilled it in her nervousness.

"Exactly what I said, Ruby. Tell me about the creature that killed Ms. Fall." Ruby opened her mouth to give the planned excuse, that the monster had been a hallucination from her concussion, but Roman held up a hand to silence her. "And please don't tell me that it was a hallucination or an alternate personality. I know those are lies; I made them up myself and fed them to your attorney. _Something _ripped Ms. Fall to shreds, and it wasn't you, was it? No, whatever did _that _wasn't even _human_."

"Th-Then what do you want me to say?"

Roman leaned forward in his chair, leveling his smug grin just in front of her face. "Tell me everything. Tell me about her claws, tell me about her fangs, tell me about her horns. Tell me about how she-"

"She doesn't have horns."

"Hmm?" Roman sat back, putting a finger to his lips and tilting his head in contemplation. "She doesn't? Strange, the last one had horns..."

"The last one?"

The smile, which had temporarily vanished, returned twice as wide. Slowly, as if savoring the superiority of his knowledge, he said, "Tell me, Ruby, have you heard of the Mountain Glenn Murders?"

"I-"

The sound of the front door slamming open interrupted her answer and snapped her attention to the entranceway, where Yang and Weiss were standing, straightening their hair after a no doubt speedy ride home. "If you don't like it, Ice Queen, I'll get you a different one!" Yang laughed as she stretched her arms to place her bright-yellow motorcycle helmet on the top shelf, reaching back for Weiss'.

"That is _not _the problem, Xiao Long!" Weiss huffed, stamping her foot as she reluctantly placed her own helmet, a beautiful powder blue with an intricate white snowflake emblazoned on the side, into Yang's waiting hand. "I just don't like the idea of you spending all that money on... me! At least let me pay for half of it?"

"Then it wouldn't be a gift, would it?" The blonde poked her finger playfully against Weiss' nose before sashaying into the house. "Hey, Ruby! How's it- oh." Yang stopped in the middle of the living room, staring in surprise at the sitting pair. "Hi, Mr. Torchwick. What are you doing here?"

"Leaving, I'm sorry to say," Roman groaned, pushing himself to his feet and settling his hat onto his head. "But it has been a very, _enlightening _visit." He turned to Ruby. "A pleasure to meet you, Ruby. I hope we get to talk again soon." With that, he moved around Yang to the front door, picking up an ornamental cane that was resting in the corner and letting himself out.

"Wow, what was all that about?" Weiss asked after they watched the tall man descend the steps and walk out of view, turning her head to find Ruby ashen-faced, clutching her arms tightly to her chest. "What's wrong, Ruby?"

"He knows! He knows about Blake!" Ruby ran to the window, her face pressed against the glass as she watched Roman climb into his car and start to drive away. "We have to warn her!"

"Wait, what?!" Yang joined her sister at the window, turning her head to follow the car. "How?"

"I don't know, but he found out somehow!"

"Calm down, you two..." Weiss said from behind them, "What's the big deal if _one_ more person knows? It's not like anyone will believe him, just like nobody would believe us! There's nothing to worry about."

Yang glanced between her girlfriend and her sister before letting out her breath and sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. "You're right, Weiss." She tugged on Ruby's shirt, "She's right, sis. There's nothing we can really do about it anyway..."

"But-!"

Weiss pulled Ruby away from the window, gently patting her on the arm. "Relax, Ruby. Blake is still safe. We'll just be a little extra careful from now on, okay?"

"But..." She looked at Yang, who shrugged and grunted to her feet. "But-!"

"Chill, Strawberry Girl, your girlfriend is fine! We'll go out again this weekend and check on her, okay?"

Defeated by overwhelming numbers and swayed by Weiss' mild logic, Ruby sighed, letting her shoulders relax. "Yeah, I guess you guys are right. She's probably fine." Suddenly, she brightened, and a light red tinge colored her cheeks. "I can't wait to see her again! And she's not my _girlfriend_, Yang!" she protested, punching the blonde on the arm. Yang and Weiss laughed at the younger girl's embarrassment, the trio moving into the kitchen to get a snack and catch each other up on the latest gossip about Pyrrha's relationship.

Ruby let herself be reassured by Weiss' words. One more person knowing about the forest's secret couldn't hurt, right? Blake would be okay.

It was going to be a very exciting summer, with _many_ trips to the woods.

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**Author's Notes: **Thank you to everyone for reading _A Trip to the Woods_. It has been so much fun, and I hope you liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Now I don't know what I'm going to do...

**A big thanks to my editor, MapleLeafLink, and to everyone who has been following since the beginning.**

**Please remember to review/favorite the story.**

**Keep moving forward.**


	15. Nightmares (Teaser)

**Disclaimer I: **_RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

**Disclaimer II:** _This chapter contains some mature content. Read at your own risk.  
_

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for 100 favorites!

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In the darkness of her room, on the edge of sleep, Ruby rolled onto her back and pushed the covers off her chest. The humid coolness of early Summer was refreshing as it poured through her open window and settled across her sweaty shoulders, quelling the heat that had awoken her. Pale moonlight shined down from its great height, dressing the walls and floor in a white-silver glow that gave everything a frosty quality, as though her room was covered in a screen of ice.

Ruby hummed and let her consciousness drift away, towards the welcome embrace of slumber, feeling her body relax and lay still as it prepared to dream. She could feel it, sleep, reaching out to grasp her mind into its comforting hold, ready to let her tiredness wash away in the river of dreams. She felt weightless.

Until a pressure pounced on her chest. Her eyes flew open, and she squinted through the faint light to try and discern what lay on top of her.

Yellow eyes reflected the moon's glow through a frazzled tangle of wavy black hair, hungry, _starving_, engorged with the delight of finding fresh prey. Startlingly clean teeth sparkled as a cruel smile split across the flushed, sweaty face of Ms. Fall. "Hello, Ruby," she breathed, flicking her tongue across her lips and leaning her face close to Ruby's, "Have you missed me?"

Ruby couldn't respond; her mouth was frozen open, her body still, only her eyes able to move. She searched, wide-eyed, for some way to escape, but Ms. Fall's hands pressed on her shoulders, and the woman was straddling her hips. Terrifying memories of their 'tutoring' sessions flashed through her mind when she noticed Ms. Fall was naked, her white skin glistening with sweat in the moon's cold light, and she felt her heart hammer fearfully in her chest. This was too similar, too familiar; she was trapped, alone, captured once again by the horror of her teacher's touch.

Ms. Fall lowered her head and kissed Ruby on the cheek, then on the neck, moving up to her ears as she sighed quietly, "I've missed you so much, Ruby. Don't worry, I forgive you for what you did to me." The hands lifted from her shoulders and began to pull down the covers, revealing Ruby's own nude body, lacking in her usual sleepwear. Ruby was still completely immobilized as Ms. Fall stroked her fingers along her sides, tracing toward her navel. "I just want you to feel good, Ruby..." the dark-haired woman crooned, pouting her lips. "I'll make you feel so _good_,"

Ruby wanted to squirm, wanted to hide, but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't move, wouldn't resist, and she watched helplessly as Ms. Fall crawled off of her hips and lay beside her, snuggling in close and placing more disgusting kisses on her cheek. Each kiss felt cold, and the chill lingered far after the lips lifted. She locked her eyes to the ceiling to avoid seeing the hands slide across her skin, but she could follow their frigid touch as they inched closer and closer to her legs.

"It'll feel _good_ Ruby, it'll feel so _good_," Tears dripped down Ruby's face, "Don't you think you should thank me for making you feel so good?" The hands vanished from her skin, but Ruby stared at the yellow eyes as Ms. Fall repositioned herself on top of her chest. She couldn't breathe. "I think I know _just _how you can thank me..." The icy fingers wrapped themselves around her neck; she still couldn't move. Ms. Fall licked her lips, "You can thank me," The fingers squeezed and Ms. Fall's face contorted as if she was experiencing extraordinary pleasure, "by dying, Ruby. Die for me, Ruby."

Ruby felt her mouth open and close uselessly as she strove to breathe, forced to look into the evil yellow eyes that gleamed with sadistic satisfaction, trying to move her arms and resist her strangulation. Suddenly, she heard trickling water, and could feel wetness on her back and shoulders. The trickling transformed into rushing, then crashing, and the water rose until it was over her head, filling her gasping mouth and distorting Ms. Fall's grinning visage. As she watched the last small air bubbles float out of her nose and mouth, the appearance changed; the black hair turned orange, the yellow eyes turned green, the smile grew crooked, and the nose became straight and pointed.

Roman Torchwick's voice was garbled by the rushing waves, but Ruby thought she heard him whisper, "Say 'hello' to Blake for me, Ms. Rose." The water turned red.

Like she was drowning in blood.

**...**

With a gasp of breath, Ruby shot upwards in her bed, clutching her hands to her neck. Her eyes frantically searched her empty room, jerking at every perceived movement. Nothing. No Ms. Fall, no Roman Torchwick, and no river of blood. Just the harsh light of the moon shining through her window and the clamorous chirruping of crickets.

Unable to relax, she examined her hands. They were shaking and sweaty, and no matter how hard she concentrated she couldn't control them. She lifted the blankets and sighed in relief when she saw herself dressed in her pajamas, then touched a hand to her cheek and made sure there was no lipstick staining her skin. Drawing in her legs and wrapping her arms around her knees, Ruby rocked forwards and backwards on her bed, staring into the darkness and trying to regain a steady rate of breathing. Her heart was racing in her chest, and the sweat that coated her skin felt like ice despite the warmth of the room. She whispered to herself, "I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay," squeezing her eyes shut and trying to push the image of Ms. Fall's smile out of her head.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally felt comfortable enough to uncurl herself, letting her legs hang off the edge of the bed while she rubbed her eyes. Ruby stood, silently crossing her room and slipping out her door. Careful to make as little noise as possible to not disturb her sister, Ruby wandered down the familiar path to the stairs and quietly descended, placing both feet on a step before moving on to the next. When she felt carpet beneath her toes, she padded along the floor with her arms extended, waiting to come into contact with a wall or door. She found the wall first, and followed it along until the smooth paint became rough wood, then felt for the door's handle.

Her father's room was pitch black, the curtains drawn tight over the window, and was filled with the overpowering sound of his snores. Ruby tiptoed over to the bed and gently sat down, pausing for a moment before reaching over and shaking her father's shoulder. "Dad?"

He jerked and rolled over. "Hmm what? What? Ruby?" She felt him push himself up until he was sitting, felt him wrap the covers around his waist, and then felt his hand on her shoulder. It was reassuringly warm. "What's the matter, honey? Did something happen?"

"Yeah. I... I had a bad dream."

She heard the rush of air as he sighed through his nose, then leaned into his consoling hug. "The same one? Or a new one?"

Ruby gulped, feeling her throat tighten and her eyes grow heavy with tears. "The same one."

His arms squeezed her tight. "It's okay, Ruby. It's just a dream. It's over now." He kissed the back of her head. "Do you want to call Ms. Adel?"

Wiping her eyes with the back of her wrist, Ruby shook her head. "No, no. I, I think I'm okay. I just had a question."

"Okay?"

"What, what are the Mountain Glenn Murders?"

Her father sighed through his nose again, and one of his arms detached itself from Ruby as he rubbed his face. "Okay, okay. Uh, well, why do you want to know?"

"It was something Mr. Torchwick mentioned to me, when he came by."

Another sigh, this time sounding a little irritated. "Can it wait until the morning?"

"Please, Dad."

"Okay. Here, lie down." He shifted to the side and guided her down until they lay side by side on the bed, his arm underneath her head and his hand resting comfortingly on her far shoulder. "Hmm, okay, the Mountain Glenn Murders. It was, it was about seven years ago, so you and your sister probably don't remember too much about it.

"What happened was, uh, well, it started with things going missing. People would go camping in Mountain Glenn and their stuff would get stolen. Nothing ever valuable though, which the police thought was strange. Clothes, food, books, tools. They chalked it up to some kids playing tough or a hobo living in the woods, nothing serious. Then people started going missing. The bodies would..." He paused. "Are you sure this won't just give you more nightmares?"

"Keep going, Dad. Please?" She had to know why Torchwick had been interested in the murders. In Blake.

"Hmm, fine, fine. The bodies would, would be, wouldn't be in great condition." Images of gruesome bloody streaks appeared in Ruby's mind, "Folks started getting scared. After probably too long, the police put together a huge task force and combed the forest. They didn't find anything, except for _more _bodies. Then it got... strange.

"Some guy went into the woods and came back with a picture. It was on the front page of every paper for two weeks. He said it was the killer, but the quality was so bad you could barely see anything. You can probably look it up on the internet, shouldn't be too hard for you to find. Anyway, it was strange because the thing didn't look _human_. There were weird shapes on its head and it didn't _stand_ right, it was just weird. Everybody went nuts! You couldn't walk down the street without someone coming up and asking 'Did you hear about Mountain Glenn?'. The church people said it was the Devil, the nutjobs said it was an alien; people were completely absorbed by this thing!

"It quieted down after a while, because no one would go into the woods, and slowly people moved on. You'd still see a rare column in one paper or another about how the 'mystery of Mountain Glenn' was still unsolved, but for the most part it faded into the background. I still wouldn't take you or your sister camping there, if you remember, because it didn't sit well with me, but other people started going back. Partly for adventure, partly in search of 'clues'. Then, there was a big promotional event on the mountain organized by a large company, but there was a storm coming in so not many people went. The next day the papers were filled with things like 'The mystery of the Mountain Glenn Murders solved!' and such, because apparently the thing attacked the event. The papers said it killed two people and injured several before someone shot it."

"What was it?"

"A big, old, rabid bear. Yup. All that fear, that hysteria, because of a diseased bear in the woods. However, something was strange about the whole thing. There were never any statements or interviews of the people who had been at the event, and the news dropped the subject far faster than normal. It just felt like, like someone was covering something up, but that's probably just me being too suspicious. Regardless, there hasn't been anything wrong with those woods since, except for... you know." He lifted his arm from beneath her head and groaned as he sat up. "Does that answer your question, honey?"

Ruby pushed herself up and yawned, hopping off the bed. "Yeah. Thanks, Dad."

"Sure, sure. Think you can get back to sleep after hearing that?"

"I think so. Goodnight, Dad." She groped in the darkness until she found his face and kissed his cheek, then let him kiss her forehead before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Finding her way back to her bed, Ruby pulled the covers tight to her neck, a chill settling over her despite the summer night's warmth. She didn't truly expect sleep to come back to her tonight, not after her nightmare or her father's description of the Mountain Glenn Murders. There was no question in her mind that the killer was _him_, was Blake's Adam, but she was left wondering 'Why?'. Why cover up Adam's death? How did Roman know about him, and why was he so interested in finding Blake?

And, did Blake know the truth?

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**Thank you for reading! And for 100 favorites!**

**Keep moving forward.**


	16. Update

This is here to announce that the sequel to 'A Trip to the Woods' has been published.

'A Summer in the Woods' Chapter 1: Therapy (Prologue).

**Thank you for reading.**

**Please check out 'A Summer in the Woods'!**

**Keep moving forward.**


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